durable

the word 'durable' entered english in the late 14th century from old french 'durable', which itself derived from latin 'durabilis', meaning 'lasting, permanent'. the latin root is 'durare', signifying 'to harden, to last, to endure', which is connected to 'durus' meaning 'hard'. this latin verb 'durare' can be traced further back to the proto-indo-european root deru-/dreu-, meaning 'be firm, solid, steadfast', a root which also gave rise to words like 'tree' and 'true', concepts associated with strength and permanence. thus, the literal sense of 'capable of lasting' evolved from the ancient idea of physical hardness and solidity into the modern abstract meaning describing the ability of an object or material to withstand wear, decay, or pressure over a long period.

Structure: dur (to last) + able (capable of) dur (from latin 'durare', meaning 'to last, to harden', of latin origin, functional role: root conveying the core meaning of lasting); able (from latin '-abilis', via old french '-able', meaning 'capable of, fit for', functional role: suffix forming adjectives meaning 'able to be' or 'having the quality of')