Regulability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of being subject to regulation by established rules or standards
2. The degree to which systems or processes can be controlled and modified according to guidelines or protocols
3. A measure of how something can be governed or altered through adherence to specific regulations or norms

Etymology: "Regulability" is formed from "regulable," which is itself "regulate" with the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being regulated." "Regulate" comes from the Late Latin "regulatus," the past participle of "regulare," meaning "to control by rule," which in turn descends from Latin "regula," a rule or straight stick used as a measuring guide. That same "regula" gave English "rule," "ruler," and "regular," so the word's core idea is literally measuring something against a straight edge. The noun "-ability" is a standard English suffix, added to adjectives ending in "-able" to name the quality they describe. "Regulability" is therefore a fairly transparent formation, and it appears mainly in technical, economic, and scientific writing, where it names how easily a system or process can be brought under control. Its exact first date of appearance in English is uncertain, so it is safest to treat it as a relatively modern coinage built from long-established parts.

Synonyms: adjustability, modifiability, flexibility

Antonyms: rigidity, inflexibility