Bondable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A characteristic that permits the effective joining of materials or elements
2. A quality that enables a connection or interaction between substances or surfaces
3. Having the property that allows two or more materials or substances to adhere firmly to each other

Etymology: "Bondable" is a plain formation: the noun "bond" with the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being bonded." The suffix is the more interesting half. The "-able" ending descends from Latin "-abilis," which turned verbs into adjectives meaning "able to be done," and it reached English by way of Old French "-able," so the same tail appears in words like "readable" and "washable." The noun "bond" has its own older history. It came into Middle English as "bonden," a word for something that binds or fastens, and it is related to "bind" in the sense of tying things together. Once the suffix was attached, "bondable" could describe any material or element that holds fast to another when joined, such as adhesives or metals that fuse under heat.

Synonyms: attachable, connectable, joinable, fastenable, couplable

Antonyms: detachable, removable, separable, disconnected, unjoinable