Etymologically
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readable

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈɹiː.də.bəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English read + -able,[2][3][4][5] first as inherited from Middle English redable,[6][3] originally after Medieval Latin legibilis (“legible”).[2] The verb goes back to Old English rǣdan (“to advise, counsel; to read”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Legible: before 1425, in the Medulla Grammatice, a Latin–English glossary, where it glosses Latin legibilis.[2][6] Etymonline dates it to the early 15th century.[3]

Semantic evolution

For three centuries the word meant only "legible".[2] From 1738 it was used of writing that is easy, pleasant or interesting to read,[2] a sense Etymonline dates from 1771;[3] the Shorter Oxford places it in the late 18th century.[4] Later extensions include something whose character can be discerned or understood (1891), a telegraph or radio signal that registers on a receiver (1859) and, in computing, data or a medium that a machine can process (1960).[2] As a noun, readables, readable works, is recorded from 1848, in Thoreau.[2][4]

Timeline

  • before 1425 – legible.[2][6]
  • 1738 – easy or enjoyable to read.[2]
  • 1848 – noun, a readable work.[2]
  • 1859 – of a telegraph signal, receivable.[2]
  • 1891 – discernible, understandable.[2]
  • 1960 – in computing, able to be processed by a machine.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Easy or pleasant to read; interesting or written in a lively style: a readable history of the railways.[7][2][4]
  2. Able to be read; legible: Her notes were barely readable.[7][2][4]
  3. Of data or a storage medium, able to be read by a computer or other device; machine-readable.[2]
  4. Of a map, clear in its detail and the meaning of its symbols.[7]

Noun

  1. A readable book or other work.[2][4]

Word family

  • readability
  • readably
  • readableness
  • nonreadable

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster