Etymograph

English

arguable

Arguable comes from Latin arguō ‘to clarify, to make plain’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- ‘white, shining’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erǵ-1‘white, shining’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂érǵus1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*argus1uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarguō1‘to clarify, to make plain’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400arguer1
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500arguen1
  7. English1500–presentargue1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2009arguable1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English arguable
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2009, Michelle Slatalla, Two Can Play That Game: “This led to a set of rules (play cannot…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erǵ-Wiktionary, English arguable‘white, shining’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂érǵusWiktionary, English arguablereconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*argusWiktionary, English arguableuncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarguōWiktionary, English arguable‘to clarify, to make plain’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400arguerWiktionary, English arguable
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500arguenWiktionary, English arguable
  7. English1500–presentargueWiktionary, English arguable
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2009arguableWiktionary, English arguable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2009, Michelle Slatalla, Two Can Play That Game: “This led to a set of rules (play cannot…”

A compound of argue + -able

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’

argentine, argent, 52 more

through Proto-Italic *argus

argumentative, argumentation, 29 more

through Latin arguō ‘to clarify, to make plain’

argument, 31 more

through Middle English arguen

argue, 6 more

Today it means

adj That can be argued; that can be proven or strongly supported with sound logical deduction, precedent, and evidence.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “arguable”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- / arguable

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