legible

the word 'legible' entered english in the late 14th century from late latin 'legibilis', itself derived from the classical latin verb 'legere', meaning 'to read, gather, or choose'. the semantic core of 'legere' is the act of collecting or picking out, which evolved logically into the process of discerning and interpreting letters and words. the suffix '-ibilis' (english '-ible') attaches to verb stems to form adjectives meaning 'able to be [verbed]'. thus, the literal construction 'able to be read' perfectly captures the modern meaning of clear and decipherable writing, directly linking the ancient action of gathering meaning to the modern quality of readability.

Structure: leg (read) + ible (able to be) - leg: from latin 'legere', meaning 'to read, gather, choose'. functions as the core root conveying the sense of reading. - ible: a suffix of latin origin ('-ibilis'), meaning 'able to be, capable of'. functions as an adjective-forming suffix indicating passive potentiality.