Appointable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Qualified to be chosen for a specific role or task; having the necessary attributes to be selected for a position of responsibility; suitable for being designated to fill an appointed office or duty
2. Having the qualifications or qualities that make someone eligible to be assigned to a particular job or role
3. Fit or proper to be tasked or named for a specific responsibility or function

Etymology: "Appointable" is a plain formation: the adjective "appoint" with the suffix "-able" attached. "Appoint" came into English from Old French "apointer," meaning to arrange or put in order, and it was used for designating people to offices and duties. The suffix "-able" passed into English through Old French from Latin "-abilis," meaning "able to be" or "capable of being." English speakers attached it freely to verbs, so "appointable" describes someone who can be named to a post. The suffix itself has a long pedigree. Its Latin ancestor "-bilis" attached to verb stems to mean "capable of," and the Latin form "-ābilis" extended it to verbs of the first conjugation. Together these pieces built a word meaning, roughly, "capable of being appointed."

Synonyms: eligible, qualified, suitable

Antonyms: ineligible, unsuitable