legibility

The word "legibility" is built upon the Latin verb legere, which originally meant "to gather, collect, pick out" and, by extension, "to pick out words" or "to read." This root is also the source of English words like "lecture" and "legend." The suffix "-ibility," derived from Latin -ibilitas, is used to form abstract nouns denoting a capacity or quality. Therefore, the literal construction of "legibility" is "the quality of being able to be read." Over time, its meaning has expanded from the purely physical clarity of handwriting or print to also encompass the clarity and comprehensibility of ideas or writing style.

Structure: leg (read) + ibility (quality of being) - leg: From Latin legere (to read, to gather). Functions as the core root meaning "to read". - ibility: A suffix from Latin -ibilitas, via Old French -ibilité, forming nouns indicating a quality or state of being able to be [verb-ed]. In this word, it means "the quality of being able to be read".