Operability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The effectiveness with which a device or system can be utilized for its intended purpose
2. The quality that determines how well equipment or a system can perform its required tasks
3. A measure of the extent to which machinery or systems can operate correctly and fulfill their design roles

Etymology: "Operability" is built from "operable," which means capable of being operated, plus the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun of quality. "Operable" itself is formed from "operate" with the suffix "-able," meaning able to be done. "Operate" comes from the Latin "operari," to work, which is also the root of "opera" in its original sense of works or labor, and of "operation" and "operative." The word is a modern technical coinage rather than an old one. It appears in English mainly from the 20th century, when engineers, military planners, and systems designers needed a single term for how usable and dependable a machine or system is in practice. Its earliest uses were tied to industrial and defense contexts, and it spread into standards documents, software and medical device design, and usability studies.

Synonyms: functionality, usability, workability

Antonyms: inoperability, ineffectiveness