Consultable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be referred to for advice or guidance when needed
2. Suitable for examination or discussion by individuals seeking information or insight
3. Capable of being looked up or referred to for obtaining advice or information

Etymology: "Consultable" is a plain formation: the verb "consult" with the suffix "-able," which turns a verb into an adjective meaning "able to be" or "suitable for" the action. Here it means something that can be looked up or referred to for information, such as a book, record, or expert. "Consult" itself has a more interesting path. It comes from Latin "consultare," a frequentative of "consulere," which meant "to deliberate" or "to take counsel," and is related to the same root that gives us "consul." Originally, to consult was a meeting of minds, a matter of asking for advice or weighing options together, and only later did it come to mean looking something up. The suffix "-able" is the same ending found in words like "readable" and "washable," and it was attached to English verbs freely over the centuries. That productivity explains why a word like "consultable" can be coined whenever a writer or speaker needs one, rather than waiting for dictionary makers to approve it.

Synonyms: referable, accessible, available, notable, noteworthy

Antonyms: unavailable, excluded, inaccessible, hidden, obscure