Comprehendable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be understood or grasped mentally
2. Possible to grasp fully in thought or meaning
3. Able to be mentally grasped or apprehended with clarity

Etymology: "Comprehendable" is simply "comprehend" with the suffix "-able" attached, and that pairing is the whole story. "Comprehend" comes from Latin "comprehendere," meaning to grasp together or seize, built from "com-" (together) and "prehendere" (to grasp). The Latin sense of physically seizing something gradually gave way to the mental sense of grasping an idea, which is how English uses the verb today. The suffix "-able," from Latin "-abilis," marks something capable of being acted upon in a given way, so "comprehendable" means able to be grasped by the mind. The word is a straightforward English formation, and it sits alongside the more common "comprehensible," which has the same meaning and arrived through a different Latin route. Both forms are in use, with "comprehensible" the more standard choice in most writing.

Synonyms: understandable, graspable, intelligible, clear, accessible

Antonyms: incomprehensible, confusing, obscure