Predictability

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pɹəˌdɪktəˈbɪlɪti/

Definitions

1. The quality of being able to be foreseen or anticipated based on consistent patterns involves factors and events that allow reasonable projections about future occurrences
2. The state in which an outcome can be reliably anticipated due to established patterns or previous knowledge enables certain expectations in various scenarios
3. The characteristic of having outcomes that can be conjectured with a significant degree of accuracy stems from recognizable trends within a given context

Etymology: The word is built in English from "predict" plus the suffix "-ability," so its history is really the history of that suffix. "Predict" came into English from Latin "praedicere," meaning "to say beforehand," with "prae" meaning "before" and "dicere" meaning "to say." The ending "-ability" has a longer route: it passed from Latin "-abilitas" through Middle French "-abilité" and into Middle English before English took it up as a productive suffix, letting speakers attach it to verbs to form nouns of capacity or quality. Adding "-ability" to "predict" yields a noun for the quality of being foretold, or of being able to be foretold. The pattern is ordinary, which is why the word feels so familiar. Its meaning follows directly from the parts: "predict" supplies the action of saying in advance, and the suffix turns that action into a property a thing or event can have.

Synonyms: foreseeability, certainty, regularity, consistency, reliability

Antonyms: unpredictability, instability, uncertainty, chaos, randomness