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suitability

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Etymology and origin of the English word suitability

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1648 R. Wilkinson
Ultimate origin
English suitable,-ity
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English suitable
English suitability
From the same root
English unsuitable ← suitable

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌsjuːtəˈbɪlɪti/, /ˌsuːtəˈbɪlɪti/[1]
  • US: /ˌsutəˈbɪləti/, /ˌsjutəˈbɪləti/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English suitable + -ity,[2][3] after the pattern of nouns in -bility.[3] Suitable is formed from the verb suit with -able, after agreeable.[3][2] The OED notes that the earlier noun was suitableness.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The quality of being suitable or appropriate: 1648, in a work by R. Wilkinson.[3] The 1989 edition of the OED dated the word to 1681–6,[4] and Etymonline to the 1680s.[2]

Semantic evolution

The word took over from suitableness the general sense of fitness or appropriateness;[3] from 1659 it also denoted an instance of it.[3] An early sense of conformity to something is now obsolete.[3] Merriam-Webster distinguishes compatibility, as between two people, from fitness or qualification for a role.[5]

Timeline

  • 1648 – the quality of being suitable; appropriateness.[3] The 1989 edition of the OED dated it to 1681–6.[4]
  • 1659 – an instance of suitability.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The quality or state of being suitable or appropriate for a purpose or occasion: They questioned the suitability of the site for a school.[5][3]
  2. Fitness or qualification for a role or position.[5]
  3. Compatibility, as between two people.[5]
  4. An instance of being suitable.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Suitability.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/suitability. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·