Amplifiable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Possible to increase in strength or extent through various means
2. Able to be made stronger or larger in effect or magnitude
3. Susceptible to amplification or enhancement in degree or intensity

Etymology: "Amplifiable" is a plain formation: the English verb "amplify" with the suffix "-able" added to it, meaning "able to be amplified." The verb "amplify" came into English in the Middle English period, borrowed through Old French "amplifier" from Latin "amplificare," which combined "amplus," meaning large or ample, with the verb-making element "-ficare" (from "facere," to make). So the core idea is "to make large," and "amplifiable" describes anything that can be made larger or stronger in degree. The suffix "-able" has its own route into English. It descends from Latin "-bilis," which became "-abilis" and then reached English through Old French "-able." Middle English adopted it widely, and English later attached it freely to verbs like this one, which is why "amplifiable" could be formed as a new word without any special history of its own.

Synonyms: expandable, extendable