Auditability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The ability for a process or system to be systematically checked for correctness and compliance with established standards is crucial for verification
2. The quality of allowing a system or procedure to be inspected for accuracy and adherence to rules
3. Being capable of having records or operations reviewed systematically to confirm their validity

Etymology: "Auditability" is a plain formation: the noun "audit" with the suffix "-ability," which turns an adjective ending in "-able" (such as "auditable," meaning able to be audited) into a noun for the quality of being able to be audited. The pattern is the same one that gives "readability" from "read" or "availability" from "available." "Audit" itself comes from the Latin "audire," meaning "to hear." Medieval accounts were checked aloud by a listener, so the word for an examination of accounts traces back to hearing. The suffix "-ability" arrived in English through French from Latin "-abilitas," a pattern that has been productive in English since the late Middle Ages, so "auditability" is a modern formation built on that long-established suffix.