Understandability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being clear and easy to grasp or comprehend
2. The characteristic of something that makes it possible to perceive or comprehend its meaning
3. The attribute of clarity that allows information or ideas to be readily understood

Etymology: Understandability is a plain build: the verb "understand" with the suffix "-ability" attached. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the word itself. It descends from Latin "-abilitas", formed from "-abilis", which means "able to be" something, so an "understandable" thing is one that can be understood. That Latin chain passed through Middle French "-ablete" and Middle English "-ablete" before reaching English as "-ability". The suffix's own route into English is the more intricate part. Its Latin ancestor "-abilitas" is built from "-bilis" and "-ābilis", and the Proto-Indo-European roots behind those pieces are reconstructed forms that contribute nothing to the meaning a reader sees today. What matters is that English took the whole suffix over a long period, and it now attaches freely to native verbs like "understand", which is why "understandability" can be made on the spot.

Synonyms: clarity, comprehensibility, intelligibility

Antonyms: confusion, ambiguity, obscurity