Raisable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being physically lifted or moved upward ; capable of being increased in amount, level, or quality
2. Possible to be raised up or elevated ; subject to growth or enhancement in size, value, or degree
3. Susceptible to being lifted or elevated by force or effort ; able to be improved upon or made greater in extent or intensity

Etymology: "Raisable" is about as transparent as English formations get: it is "raise" with the suffix "-able" attached, meaning "able to be raised." The verb "raise" is itself an old word in English, and the suffix "-able" comes from Latin "-abilis" by way of Old French, where it was used to build adjectives of possibility from verbs. English adopted the suffix so freely that it can be tacked onto nearly any transitive verb, which is how "raisable" came about. The word's meaning follows the verb closely. Something raisable is something that can be lifted, lifted up, or increased, whether a physical object such as a heavy weight or sunken vehicle, or an abstract quantity such as a limit or a wage. Because "raise" carries both physical and figurative senses, "raisable" inherits both, so a single adjective can describe a stuck anchor and a ceiling on spending.

Synonyms: elevatable, liftable

Antonyms: lowerable