A few days ago I was talking to a friend about an elderly relative she was helping. My friend remarked that her aunt had so many possessions that it was taking a huge effort to reduce them to a manageable number. Her aunt laughingly referred to them as her “tangible assets.”
Tangible. What a great word. According to dictionary.com, tangible means “capable of being touched,” “real or actual,” or “discernible by the touch.” Its origin is somewhere in the late 1500s, and it comes from the Latin “tangibilis” and the Late Latin word “tang (ere),” or “to touch.” “Ible,” which is a variant of “able,” is the “capable of” part of the word.
I love “ible” words. “Friable” is one example. It means cable of being easily crumbled or broken up. This is a word heard in autopsy reports, and clearly you don’t want it applied to a body part. Even if you’re not sure what it means, it sounds pretty dire. “Capable” is another magnificently descriptive word. It refers to capacity and comes from the Late Latin “capabilis,” or “roomy.”
I bet you can think of some great “ible” words on the spot. I’d love to know what they are and why you love them.
RobAustin says
Fungible. Negligible. And, of course, Dirigible.
Susan Monroe says
Dirigible is a wonderful word! I think of the French word “diriger,” or “to direct.” Then I think of the Hindenburg.
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