applicable

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈplɪk.ə.bəl/, /ˈæp.lɪ kə.bəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is from Old French applicable or Medieval Latin applicabilis,^[2][3] from applicāre (“to attach to, devote to”) (see apply) and -able;^[4][5][6] MWU traces it through French appliquer.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Well-disposed, pliable, compliant: 1548 in MWU, 1563 in the OED, the 1560s in Etymonline; now obsolete.^[6][7][4]

Semantic evolution

Capable of being applied, having reference, is from 1660 (the 1650s),^[7][4] and fit or suitable for its purpose from 1835;^[7] Hoad dates the sense pertinent to the 19th century.^[5] It superseded the earlier appliable (14th–15th century) in all senses.^[5][4]

Timeline

• 1548 – compliant (obsolete).^[6]
• 1660 – capable of being applied.^[7]
• 1835 – suitable.^[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Able to be applied; relevant or appropriate.

Word family

• applicability
• applicably
• inapplicable
• unapplicable

Related words

• apply
• appliance
• application
• applicant
• ply

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press