Circumscribable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Possible to limit or define by specific boundaries or parameters in both physical and abstract contexts
2. Able to be enclosed within clearly defined boundaries, whether in space or concept
3. Subject to limitation or restriction by a set scope or range, whether physical or figurative

Etymology: "Circumscribable" is built from two parts that have been in English for centuries. The first is "circumscribe," which comes from Latin "circumscribere," literally "to write around," from "circum" ("around") and "scribere" ("to write"). The original sense was geometric and physical: to draw a line around a figure, or to enclose something within a boundary. The meaning then widened to limiting or restricting something, whether an area, a power, or an idea. The second part, "-able," is the common suffix meaning "capable of being" or "susceptible to," so the adjective describes something that can be enclosed or defined within limits. Its sense of marking out a boundary around a thing is the same picture that gave "circumscribe" its geometric roots, so the word preserves the image of drawing a line around something.

Synonyms: limited, bounded, restricted

Antonyms: unbounded, unlimited