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Capable of being considered: about 1449 in the OED, the mid-15th century in Etymonline; the sense is obsolete.[5][2][4]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as northern by Witherspoon, quoted in Pickering's 1816 vocabulary of Americanisms.[2] As an adverb, considerably, it is obsolete or dialectal.[5]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
- Large in amount, size or degree; substantial.
- Worthy of consideration; important or distinguished.
Word family
- considerably
- inconsiderable
- unconsiderable
Related words
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ 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