Dislocatable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being moved from its original position or location
2. able to be displaced or detached from a fixed point
3. having the potential to be altered in placement or arrangement

Etymology: "Dislocatable" is a straightforward formation: the verb "dislocate" with the suffix "-able" attached. "Dislocate" itself came into English from the Latin "dislocare," meaning to put out of place, built from "dis-" (apart, away) and "locare" (to place), the same root that gives "locate" and "location." The "-able" ending, from Latin "-abilis" via Old French, marks something capable of being acted upon, so "dislocatable" describes a thing that can be shifted out of its proper place. The word's meaning therefore follows its verb closely. A dislocated joint is one knocked out of its socket, and a dislocatable part is one that could be displaced in the same way, whether a physical piece of machinery or an object in a larger arrangement.

Synonyms: movable, relocatable

Antonyms: fixed, stationary