potable

English

Etymology

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English potable (“drinkable, potable”), from Middle French, Old French potable (modern French potable (“drinkable, potable”)), and from its etymon Late Latin pōtābilis (“drinkable, potable”), from Latin pōtāre (“to drink”) + -bilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon). Pōtāre is the present active infinitive of pōtō (“to drink”), from Proto-Italic *pōtos, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₃- (“to drink”).

The English word is cognate with Catalan potable, Italian potabile, Spanish potable.

The noun is derived from the adjective.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpəʊtəbəl/, (non-standard) /ˈpɒt-/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpoʊtəbəl/, (non-standard) /ˈpɑt-/
• Homophone: pottable (non-standard)
• Hyphenation: pot‧a‧ble

Adjective

potable (comparative more potable, superlative most potable)

1. (formal) Good for drinking without fear of disease or poisoning.

   Synonyms: drinkable, drinkworthy

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

potable (plural potables)

1. Any drinkable liquid; a beverage.
   • 1708, [John Philips], “(please specify the page)”, in Cyder. , London: J Tonson, , →OCLC:

     When solar beams / Parch thirsty human veins, the damask'd meads, / Unforc'd display ten thousand painted flow'rs / Useful in potables.

Derived terms

• potent potable

Translations

References

Further reading

• drinking water on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• optable

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pōtābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poˈtable/,

Adjective

potable (epicene, plural potables)

1. potable (good for drinking)

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pōtābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Adjective

potable m or f (masculine and feminine plural potables)

1. potable

Further reading

• “potable” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin pōtābilis, from Latin potō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔ.tabl/

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

potable (plural potables)

1. potable
2. (colloquial) OK, passable

   Synonym: correct

   Tu penses quoi de la meuf de ton frère ? Potable, sans plus. ― What do you think about your brother's girlfriend? Alright‚ nothing more.

Further reading

• “potable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French potable, from Latin pōtābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔˈtaːbəl/, /pɔːˈtaːbəl/

Adjective

potable (rare, Late Middle English)

1. Suitable for drinking; potable.

Descendants

• English: potable

References

• “pō̆tāble, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-08-22.

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pōtābilis.

Adjective

potable m (oblique and nominative feminine singular potable)

1. potable

Declension

Descendants

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pōtābilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poˈtable/
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: po‧ta‧ble

Adjective

potable m or f (masculine and feminine plural potables)

1. potable, drinkable

Derived terms

Further reading

• “potable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014