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permissible

UK[pəˈmɪsəbl]US[pərˈmɪsəbl]
adj

allowed or permitted by law, rules, or custom.

Morpheme Breakdown

permiss
ible
permiss

allow

ible

capable of

Etymology

the word permissible is built upon the latin verb 'permittere', which itself is a compound of 'per-' (meaning 'through, thoroughly') and 'mittere' (meaning 'to send, let go'). the core idea is of sending something through or letting it pass, which evolved into the sense of granting consent or allowance. the past participle stem 'permiss-' was adopted into english and combined with the productive suffix '-ible', derived from latin '-ibilis', which denotes ability or suitability. thus, permissible literally means 'capable of being allowed', a meaning that has remained consistent from its latin roots to its modern legal and normative usage.

Analysis

Structure: permiss (allow) + ible (capable of) permiss (from latin 'permiss-', past participle stem of 'permittere', meaning 'to allow, let pass'); ible (from latin suffix '-ibilis', forming adjectives meaning 'capable of, fit for').

Examples

it is not permissible to park here between 9 am and 6 pm.

the judge ruled the evidence was permissible in court.

there is a permissible level of error in this scientific measurement.

permissible – Meaning, Etymology & Word Origin | OpenEtymology