Upgradeability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The attribute of possessing the potential for future enhancements or improvements in features or performance
2. The quality of being able to improve or enhance performance or functionalities in the future
3. The characteristic that allows for future improvements or enhancements to features or capabilities

Etymology: Upgradeability is a plain modern compound with no hidden story: it is built from "upgrade" plus the suffix "-ability." The base, "upgrade," is itself a compound of "up" and "grade," and in its original sense it referred to raising something to a higher grade or rank, which is the idea the modern noun still carries. "Upgrade" in the sense of improving a product or system is a later development that came from that older meaning. The suffix does most of the work. "-ability" descends from Latin "-abilitas," formed from "-abilis" ("able to be"), and reached English through Middle French, where "-able" and "-ablete" were common endings. Attaching "-ability" to a verb turns "able to be done" into a noun for the quality of being able to be done, so upgradeability means the quality of being able to be upgraded.

Synonyms: improvability, enhancement potential