considerable

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kənˈsɪdəɹəbl̩/, /kənˈsɪdɹəbl̩/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin considerabilis (“worthy to be considered”),^[2][3][4] from considerāre (“to look at closely”) (see consider), probably originally to observe the stars, from com- and sidus (“star, constellation”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Capable of being considered: about 1449 in the OED, the mid-15th century in Etymonline; the sense is obsolete.^[5][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Worthy of regard or attention, important, is from before 1619, and of persons, of consequence or distinction, from 1641.^[5][2] Rather large, worthy of notice because of size, is from 1651, the 1650s in Etymonline.^[5][2] The American use of considerable as a noun, as in considerable of a surveyor, is from 1685,^[5] and was noted as northern by Witherspoon, quoted in Pickering's 1816 vocabulary of Americanisms.^[2] As an adverb, considerably, it is obsolete or dialectal.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 1449 – capable of being considered.^[5]
• before 1619 – important.^[5]
• 1651 – fairly large.^[5]
• 1685 – as a noun, in the US.^[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Large in amount, size or degree; substantial.
2. Worthy of consideration; important or distinguished.

Word family

• considerably
• inconsiderable
• unconsiderable

Related words

• consider
• consideration
• sidereal
• desire

References

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