liable | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

73 entries found.

1530s, "not capable of sin," from French impeccable (15c.) or directly from Late Latin impeccabilis "not liable to sin," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + peccare "to sin" (see peccadillo). Meaning "faultless" is from 1610s. Related: Impeccably; impeccant; impeccancy.

mutable (adj.)

late 14c., "liable to change," from Latin mutabilis "changeable," from mutare "to change," from PIE root *mei- (1) "to change, go, move," with derivatives referring to the exchange of goods and services as regulated by custom or law (compare Latin mutuus "done in exchange").

disputable (adj.)

"liable to be contested or called into question; controvertible," 1540s, from French disputable (16c.) or directly from Latin disputabilis, from disputare "weigh; examine; discuss, argue, explain" (see dispute (v.)). Related: Disputably.

obliged (adj.)

"bound by ties of gratitude," 1540s, past-participle adjective from oblige. Earlier it meant "be in bondage, be bound by (a promise, pledge, rule, etc.)," also "be liable for the payment of; be condemned" (mid-14c.).

accountant (n.)

mid-15c., "accounting officer, one who renders accounts," from Old French acontant (Modern French accomptant), from present participle of aconter "to count, enumerate" (see account (v.)). Sense of "professional maker of accounts" is recorded from 1530s. The word also was an adjective in Middle English, "accountable; liable to render accounts" (early 15c.).

defatigable (adj.)

"liable to be wearied," 1650s, from defatigate (v.), 1550s, from Latin defatigatus, past participle of defatigare "to weary, tire out, exhaust with labor," from de "utterly, down, away" (see de-) + fatigare "to weary" (see fatigue (n.)). Also see indefatigable.

recidivism (n.)

"habit of relapsing" (into crime), 1882, from recidivist + -ism, modeled on French récidivisme, from récidiver. Recidivation as "a falling back, backsliding" in the spiritual sense is attested early 15c. (recidivacion), but OED has no examples after c. 1700. Recidivous "liable to backslide to a former condition or state" is a dictionary word from 1650s.

hemorrhoids (n.)

plural of hemorrhoid; late 14c., emeroudis, from Old French emorroides (13c.), from Latin hæmorrhoidae, from Greek haimorrhoides (phlebes) "(veins) liable to discharge blood," plural of haimorrhois, from haima "blood" (see -emia) + rhoos "a stream, a flowing," from rhein "to flow" (from PIE root *sreu- "to flow"). Related: Hemmorhoidal.

voluble (adj.)

late 14c., "able to turn, revolving;" early 15c., "liable to constant change," from Latin volubilis "that turns around, rolling, flowing," figuratively (of speech) "fluent, rapid," from volvere "to turn around, roll" (from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve"). Meaning "fluent, talkative" is recorded from 1580s. Related: Volubly.

customary (adj.)

1520s, "liable to customs or dues;" c. 1600, "according to established usage, habitual," from Medieval Latin custumarius, from Latin consuetudinarius, from consuetitudinem (see custom (n.)). In Middle English it was a noun, "written collection of customs" of a manor or community. Earlier words for "according to established usage" were custumal (c. 1400, from Old French), custumable (c. 1300). Related: Customarily.

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