Preservable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being kept safe from harm or decay
2. Fit or suitable to be maintained over time without losing quality
3. Possible to maintain or protect from deterioration or destruction

Etymology: "Preservable" is a plain formation: the verb "preserve" with the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being." The suffix itself has a longer road into English than the verb it attaches to. It descends from Latin "-bilis" and "-ābilis," passed through Old French "-able," and entered Middle English as "-able," where English speakers began attaching it freely to native and borrowed verbs. "Preserve" arrived earlier, from Old French "preserver," which drew on Late Latin "praeservare," meaning "to keep safe" or "to guard beforehand." The Latin root "servare," "to keep, to watch over," is the same source behind "conserve" and "observe." So "preservable" literally describes something able to be kept safe. The adjective is a modern-style coinage built from those parts, and it is the sort of word English makes whenever a new verb needs a "can be done" form.

Synonyms: maintainable, sustainable