English
arguability
Arguability comes from Latin arguō ‘to clarify, to make plain’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarguō1‘to clarify, to make plain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400arguer1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500arguen1
- English1500–presentargue1
- Englishearliest quotation 2008arguability1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English arguability
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2008, John F. Burns, Russian Feud Goes to Court in London: “The arguability of the claims depends wholly on oral…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarguōWiktionary, English arguability‘to clarify, to make plain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400arguerWiktionary, English arguability
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500arguenWiktionary, English arguability
- English1500–presentargueWiktionary, English arguability
- Englishearliest quotation 2008arguabilityWiktionary, English arguability. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2008, John F. Burns, Russian Feud Goes to Court in London: “The arguability of the claims depends wholly on oral…”
A compound of argue + -ability
Latin arguō ‘to make clear, prove, accuse’
Old French arguer ‘to argue’
Middle English arguen ‘to argue’
English argue
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- ‘white, shining’
through Proto-Italic *argus
argumentative, argumentation, 29 more
through Latin arguō ‘to clarify, to make plain’
through Middle English arguen
Today it means
noun The quality or degree of being arguable.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “arguability”. 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 arguō / arguability