detachable

Etymology

It is formed from English detach + -able.^[2][3][4] Detach, recorded from the 1680s, is from French détacher (“to detach, untie”), from Old French destachier, formed from des- (“apart”) and attachier (“to attach”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Capable of being separated: Etymonline dates the word to 1797.^[3] The OED's first quotation is from Bentham's Church-of-Englandism (1818),^[2] and Klein also credits Bentham with its first use.^[4]

Timeline

• 1797 – capable of being separated.^[3] The OED's first quotation is from 1818, in Bentham.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Able to be detached or separated, especially without loss or damage: a jacket with a detachable lining.^[5][2]
2. Made so as to be removed: The camera has a detachable lens.^[5][1]

Word family

• undetachable
• nondetachable

Related words

• detach
• attach
• detachment

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster