Doutable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Open to doubt, so that its truth, value or reliability can be questioned or called into dispute
2. Able to be called into question, uncertain enough that one might reasonably mistrust it
3. Describing something whose correctness or worth is debatable and could be disputed by a reasonable person

Etymology: English "doubt" once had no "b." It came into Middle English from Old French "douter," which descended from Latin "dubitare," meaning "to waver" or "hesitate," and the silent "b" was added later in English spelling, apparently to echo the Latin. "Doutable" keeps the spelling English had before that change, with the French-style "ou" and no "b." The ending "-able" comes from Latin "-abilis," meaning "capable of being," so a doutable claim is one that is capable of being doubted. The form is an older spelling of "doubtable," which is the form more often seen today, and the adjective is now rare in ordinary English.