Endorsable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be signed or approved as confirmation or support
2. Capable of receiving an official signature or authorization
3. Suitable to be formally approved or signed to show agreement or validation

Etymology: "Endorsable" is a straightforward formation: the verb "endorse" with the suffix "-able," which turns a verb into an adjective meaning "capable of being" or "fit to be" the action named. Something endorsable is therefore something that can be endorsed, whether a cheque that can be signed over to another payee, a product that can be backed by a celebrity, or a policy that can be approved. The verb underneath carries the more interesting history. "Endorse" originally meant writing on the back of a document, from the Latin "in-" and "dorsum," meaning back, so that the notion of approval comes from the physical act of signing a page's reverse. The "-able" suffix, from Latin "-abilis" through Old French, has been productive in English since the medieval period and attaches freely to verbs like this one. The word therefore preserves a literal picture of a signature on the back of a paper, even though modern use has moved far from that page.

Synonyms: supportable, approvable

Antonyms: rejectable