Summonable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being requested or called to appear when needed
2. Describes something or someone that can be called forth or asked to come
3. Able to be summoned or required to present oneself upon request

Etymology: "Summonable" is a plain formation: the verb "summon" with the suffix "-able," meaning "able to be" something. The suffix itself has a long pedigree. It descends through Latin "-abilis" and "-ābilis," passed into Old French as "-able," and arrived in Middle English in the same form, so English speakers have been attaching it to verbs for centuries. The verb at the heart of the word, "summon," took a different route. It traces back through Old French and Latin to the idea of calling someone up or to appear, and it has long carried the sense of formally ordering a person to attend a court or assembly. That legal flavour is why "summonable" is most often used of people or things that can be legally called to appear, though the adjective is equally at home in general contexts.

Synonyms: callable, invokable

Antonyms: unreachable