Controllability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic that permits effective management or direction of a process or system is essential for successful outcomes
2. The capacity for a situation or behavior to be regulated and influenced underscores its overall manageability
3. The quality of a system or process that allows it to be directed or influenced effectively

Etymology: "Controllability" is a plain English construction, built in layers from the verb "control" rather than from a single ancient root. The verb came into English in the Middle Ages through Middle French "contreroller," a term that began as a bookkeeping practice: a "contrarotulus" was a counter-roll, a duplicate register checked against the original so that accounts could be verified. The sense of checking and verifying gradually widened into the sense of directing or governing that we use today. The adjective "controllable" was formed by adding the suffix "-able," which descends from Latin "-abilis" and was inherited through Old French, meaning "capable of being" something. Then "-ity," a suffix that passed through Old French from Latin "-itas," was attached to make the abstract noun. The result is a word that names a quality: the state of being able to be directed or managed.

Synonyms: manageability, regulation, oversight, governability, directability

Antonyms: uncontrollability, chaos, anarchy, disorder, helplessness