Avertability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being capable of being turned away or prevented from occurring
2. The characteristic of something that can be avoided or averted under certain circumstances
3. The potential for avoidance or the ability to make something less likely to happen

Etymology: The Latin verb "avertere" meant "to turn away," from "a-" ("away") and "vertere" ("to turn"). English "avert" keeps that sense: to turn aside a blow, a disaster, or a gaze. Its near-twin "advert," from the Latin "advertere" ("to turn toward"), points the other way, which is why one word now means preventing something and the other means drawing attention to it. "Avertability" is a modern formation, built by adding "-able," meaning "capable of being," to "avert," then "-ity," the suffix that turns an adjective into a noun of quality. The result names the quality of being capable of being averted. It is a rare, technical-sounding word, mostly found in discussion of risks and outcomes.

Synonyms: preventability, avoidability, escapability

Antonyms: inevitability, unavoidability