Warrantable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being justified, authorized, or defended on reasonable grounds
2. Describing something as permissible indicates that it can be validated, defended, or authorized based on justification or appropriate reasoning
3. Able to be supported by good reasons or evidence, showing justification or authorization

Etymology: Warrantable is a plain formation: the noun "warrant" with the suffix "-able" attached. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the base word. It descends from Latin "-abilis", which turned verbs into adjectives meaning "able to be done", and it reached English largely through Old French, where the Latin form was reshaped into "-able". Middle English took it up as a productive ending, so English speakers could build new adjectives from almost any verb or noun stem. The base word "warrant" has a different and older root. It came into English through Anglo-Norman and Old French "warant", a word of Germanic origin meaning a guarantee or protection, and it entered English in the Middle English period with that sense of security or authority. Put the two together and "warrantable" means, literally, able to be guaranteed or justified.

Synonyms: justifiable, defensible, explainable, allowable, permissible

Antonyms: unjustifiable, indefensible, inexplicable, unallowable, impermissible