replaceable

Etymology

It is formed from English replace + -able.^[2][3] The verb replace, from re- and place, is recorded from the 1590s.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

That can be replaced: 1769, in a legal memorial.^[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1799.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The base verb first meant to restore to a former place; "to take the place of" is recorded from 1753 and "to fill the place of with something else" from 1765.^[3] From 1835 chemists used the word of an atom that can readily be replaced by a different atom, especially a hydrogen atom in an acid.^[2]

Timeline

• 1769 – that can be replaced.^[2]
• 1835 – in chemistry, of an atom, readily replaced by another.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Able to be replaced: The batteries in this torch are easily replaceable.^[4][2]
2. (chemistry) Of an atom, readily replaced by a different atom; especially of a hydrogen atom in an acid.^[2]

Word family

• nonreplaceable
• unreplaceable

Related words

• replace
• irreplaceable

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster