revocable
Meaning
Able to be cancelled, withdrawn, or annulled.
Structure
Usage
The offer is revocable at any time before you sign the contract.
A license is a privilege, not a right, and is often revocable by the issuing authority.
The trust was made irrevocable to prevent any future changes to its terms.
Etymology
The word "revocable" has a clear legal and logical lineage from Latin. It is formed from the verb revocare, meaning "to call back" or "to recall", itself composed of re- (back) and vocare (to call). The suffix -abilis, indicating capacity or fitness, was added to create the Latin adjective revocabilis. This term entered English through Anglo-Norman and Middle French, retaining its core sense of something that can be called back or rescinded. The modern abstract meaning, describing a decision, right, or privilege that is capable of being cancelled or withdrawn, flows directly from this literal idea of recalling a prior declaration.
Analysis
- re: Latin prefix meaning "back" or "again". - voc: From Latin root vocare (to call), a substring of the English spelling. - able: English suffix from Latin -abilis, meaning "capable of" or "fit for".