affordable
Meaning
low enough in price that people can pay for it or buy it
(of costs) able to be borne without causing financial hardship
Structure
Usage
the city needs more affordable housing for young families.
we offer a range of affordable health insurance plans.
the new policy aims to make higher education more affordable.
Etymology
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.
Analysis
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').