Etymograph

English

interpretable

Interpretable comes from Late Latin interpretābilis ‘explicable’, from interpretor ‘to explain, expound’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-1reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinter2‘between’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterpres1‘agent, translator’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinterpretor3‘to explain, expound’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinterpretābilis3‘explicable’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2021interpretable3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin interpretor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin interpres
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English interpretable
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2021, Arkady Martine, A Desolation Called Peace: “There was an expression there, but not much of…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*per-Wiktionary, Latin interpretorreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterWiktionary, Latin interpres‘between’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterpresWiktionary, Latin interpretor‘agent, translator’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinterpretorWiktionary, English interpretable‘to explain, expound’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinterpretābilisWiktionary, English interpretable‘explicable’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2021interpretableWiktionary, English interpretable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2021, Arkady Martine, A Desolation Called Peace: “There was an expression there, but not much of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *per-

first, before, support, far, per, report, further, price, fear, opportunity, practice, private, press, primary, port, prior, prime, pre, afford, ford, prize, forth, appreciate, practical, pregnant, praise, parade, par, precious, privilege, ferry, porch, pardon, pirate, fare, primitive, prix, pragmatic, afar, privy, 156 more

through Latin inter ‘between’

intestine, internist, 9 more

Today it means

adj Capable of being interpreted or explained.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “interpretable”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin interpretor, Latin interpres. 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 *per- / interpretable

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