Unchargeable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An entity that cannot be charged or tasked with financial responsibility
2. something that is exempt from obligations or liabilities
3. a state of being free from charges or claims related to duties or expenses

Etymology: "Unchargeable" is simply the English prefix "un-" (meaning "not") attached to "chargeable," which describes something that can be charged, whether that means a cost levied on someone or a liability that can be assigned to a person or account. Put together, the adjective describes something that cannot be charged: a cost that cannot be levied, or a party that cannot be held liable for an obligation. The base word carries the older sense. "Chargeable" grows from "charge," which traces back through Old French "charger" to Late Latin "carricare," meaning to load a vehicle, a notion that gradually shifted from physical loading to imposing a burden, a cost, or an accusation. The prefix is the familiar negating element found in words like "unlikely" and "unfair," so the compound is transparent rather than surprising.

Synonyms: non-rechargeable

Antonyms: rechargeable