Escapable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being evaded, avoided, or gotten away from
2. Possible to evade or avoid through cleverness or strategy
3. Able to be escaped from or sidestepped, often with effort or cunning

Etymology: "Escapable" is simply "escape" with the suffix "-able" attached. "Escape" came into English from Old French "escaper," which itself was built from the Latin roots for "out of" and "cape," a cloak, so the image behind it is of slipping out of a cloak or garment held by someone else. The suffix traces back much further, through Latin "-abilis," meaning "capable of being," and Old French "-able," which English borrowed and turned into a productive ending for forming adjectives from verbs. Because "-able" attaches to a verb to mean "able to be" that verb's action, "escapable" literally means "able to be escaped." Its meaning is "able to be escaped" or "able to avoid," which is how the adjective is used in its everyday sense.

Synonyms: avoidable

Antonyms: inescapable