Splitable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Being capable of being divided or separated into parts or segments
2. Referring to an object's ability to be cleaved or fractured along a defined line or plane
3. Describing something that can be partitioned or allocated into distinct components

Etymology: "Splitable" is an English formation built from the verb "split" and the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being." The verb "split" came into English in the 1400s, probably from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch "splitten," meaning to split or burst open, and it was used by seafarers and woodworkers long before it reached general speech. Adding "-able" to a verb to form an adjective is an ordinary English pattern, so "splitable" follows the same logic as "washable" or "readable." The spelling is the interesting part. Dictionaries generally prefer "splittable," because the final consonant of a verb is doubled before a suffix beginning with a vowel when the stress falls on the last syllable of a short stressed vowel word, and "split" follows that pattern in many of its forms. Yet "splitable" appears in print and in usage, which is why standard references list it as a variant. Both spellings are acceptable in ordinary writing, though "splittable" is the more conventional choice in formal contexts.

Synonyms: divisible, separable, dividable, breakable, cleavable

Antonyms: indivisible, inseparable, unbreakable, whole