Puncturable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be pierced or penetrated by a sharp object
2. Describing something that can be punctured or have a hole made in it
3. Capable of having its surface broken or pierced by a pointed instrument

Etymology: "Puncturable" is about as plain as English word-building gets: it is "puncture" with the suffix "-able" attached, meaning capable of being punctured. The suffix comes from Latin "-abilis" through Old French "-able," and it has been attached to English verbs for centuries to mark something that can be acted upon, as in "washable" or "breakable." The base word "puncture" is the more interesting part. It comes from Latin "punctura," meaning a pricking or piercing, formed from "pungere," "to prick" or "to pierce." That same Latin root gives English "pungent," originally describing a sharp prick to the senses, and "point," which shares the idea of something sharp that pierces.

Synonyms: pierceable, perforable, penetrable, stabable

Antonyms: impenetrable, unpierceable, solid, durable