Etymograph

English

amable

Amable comes from Latin amābilis ‘lovable, worthy of love’, and goes back to amō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamō1‘to love’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamābilis2‘lovable, worthy of love’
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600amable2
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500amable2
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1748amable2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin amabilis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English amable
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1748, Charles Lucas, To the Free Citizens: “But I muſt ſay, that however amable theſe Men,…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamōWiktionary, Latin amabilis‘to love’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamābilisWiktionary, English amable‘lovable, worthy of love’
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600amableWiktionary, English amable
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500amableWiktionary, English amable
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1748amableWiktionary, English amable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1748, Charles Lucas, To the Free Citizens: “But I muſt ſay, that however amable theſe Men,…”

Linked words

through Latin amō ‘to love’

enemy, enmity, amour, amity, amenity, amicable, inimical, 19 more

Today it means

adj Friendly, pleasant.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “amable”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin amabilis. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin amō / amable

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