The word 'workability' is a modern English compound formed by combining the native Germanic root 'work' with the Latinate suffix '-ability'. The root 'work' traces back to Proto-Germanic werkan, itself from the Proto-Indo-European root werg-, meaning "to do". The suffix '-ability' entered English via Old French from Latin -abilitas, which denotes a capacity or fitness. Thus, the literal construction "capacity for being worked" logically evolved to describe both the physical property of a material (e.g., clay's malleability) and the abstract feasibility of a concept, seamlessly blending Germanic and Latinate elements to create a precise technical and general term.

Structure: work (to perform labor) + ability (capacity or quality) - work: From Old English weorc, meaning "something done, action, deed, labor." Its functional role is the core semantic root, indicating the concept of labor or operation. - ability: From Latin -abilitas, a suffix forming nouns of quality from adjectives ending in -abilis (able). Its functional role is a noun-forming suffix meaning "the quality or state of being."