-bilis

Forms

-bilis (neuter -bile, comparative -bilior, superlative -bilissimus); third-declension two-termination suffix^[1]

Etymology

The suffix is inherited from Proto-Italic *-ðlis, which goes back to the same source as Proto-Italic *-ðlom, namely Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom.^[1] Sihler traces stabilis (“firm”) to *-dhli- beside stabulum (“abode”) from *-dhlo-.^[2] Meiser sets up an intermediate /-bli-/, with a vowel later inserted before the /l/.^[3] Weiss thinks the adjectives may have been made first from instrument nouns with the same element, comparing exōrābula (“entreaties”) with exōrābilis, and ⟨stabulum⟩ with ⟨stabilis⟩.^[4] He compares Umbrian facefele (“able to be sacrificed”) and purtifele (“able to be offered”).^[4] Etymonline instead connects it with Proto-Indo-European *-tro-, a suffix of instrument nouns.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus, of about 250–184 BC,^[6] already has amābilis (“lovable”), crēdibilis (“credible”), exōrābilis, impetrābilis, mōbilis, nōbilis and stabilis, and adiūtābilis (“helpful”).^[4] Weiss describes such adjectives as having a potential meaning.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it makes adjectives of ability from verbal bases, either directly, as in nōbilis, or with a thematic vowel, as in amābilis and terribilis.^[7] Sihler notes that verbs with a root ending in /b/ show a shortened form by haplology: habilis, not *habibilis.^[2] Some have more than one sense: flēbilis is glossed “expressing sorrow”, “lamentable” and “weeping”.^[4][2] Through French and directly it gave English -able and -ible.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses amābilis, crēdibilis and adiūtābilis.^[4][6]
• 170–c. 90 BC – Accius has flēbilis.^[4][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero has flexibilis and lāmentābilis.^[4][6]

Meanings

Suffix

1. Forms adjectives from verbs denoting ability, capacity or worth of being acted on: nōbilis, amābilis, flēbilis, terribilis, patibilis.^[7][1]

Word family

• amābilis
• nōbilis
• flēbilis
• terribilis
• patibilis
• infinibilis
• crēdibilis
• exōrābilis
• impetrābilis
• mōbilis
• stabilis
• flexibilis
• lāmentābilis
• laudābilis

Related words

• English -able
• English -ible

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Sihler, Andrew L. (1995), New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, New York: OUP
3. ^ Meiser, Gerhard (2010), Historische Laut- und Formenlehre der lateinischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Darmstadt: WBG
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Weiss, Michael (2020), Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin, 2nd ed., Ann Arbor: Beech Stave
5. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press