affordable

the word 'affordable' is built upon the older english verb 'afford', which itself has a layered history. the verb 'afford' originated from the old english 'gefordian', meaning 'to further, promote, carry out', which combined the prefix 'ge-' (completive) with 'fordian' (related to 'forth'). it later merged with the influence of the latin 'ad-' (to) and the latin 'fortis' (strong), evolving to mean 'to have the means for, to manage'. the suffix '-able', of latin origin via french, was then attached, creating an adjective meaning 'capable of being afforded'. thus, the modern sense of 'low enough in price to be managed' logically extends from the core idea of being financially strong enough to bear a cost.

Structure: af + ford + able af- (latin, variant of ad-, meaning 'to, towards'); ford (old english, from the verb 'to afford', meaning 'to provide, to manage'); -able (latin via french, suffix forming adjectives meaning 'capable of, fit for').