breakable
Meaning
Capable of being broken or damaged easily; fragile.
An item that is easily broken, especially one that requires careful handling.
Structure
Usage
Please pack the breakable ornaments with plenty of bubble wrap.
This toy is made of a more durable plastic and is less breakable than the glass version.
The moving company charges extra for handling breakables like china and electronics.
Etymology
The word 'breakable' is a transparent English formation built upon the strong Germanic verb 'break', which descends from the Proto-Indo-European root bhreg- meaning "to break." This ancient root also gave rise to Latin frangere (to break), seen in words like 'fraction'. The suffix '-able' was adopted into English via Old French from the Latin adjectival suffix -abilis, which denotes passive capability. Thus, the literal construction "capable of being broken" directly and logically conveys its modern meaning of fragility, showcasing a clear semantic link from its constituent parts.
Analysis
- break: From Old English brecan, meaning "to separate into parts violently, shatter." It is a Germanic root with a functional role as a verb base. - able: From Latin -abilis, a suffix forming adjectives meaning "capable of, fit for, tending to." Its functional role is an adjective-forming suffix.