Etymograph

English

navigable

Navigable comes from Latin nāvigō ‘to sail’, from nāvis ‘ship’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- ‘to swim’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₂-1‘to swim’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*néh₂us1‘boat’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnāvis1‘ship’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnāvigō2‘to sail’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnavigabilis3
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600navigable3
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1842navigable3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin navigo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin navigabilis
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English navigable
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, GEOGRAPHY OF THE DESPATCHES.: “Shanghai is situated on this river, about twelve miles…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)neh₂-Wiktionary, Latin navigo‘to swim’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*néh₂usWiktionary, Latin navigo‘boat’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnāvisWiktionary, Latin navigo‘ship’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnāvigōWiktionary, Latin navigabilis‘to sail’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnavigabilisWiktionary, English navigable
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600navigableWiktionary, English navigable
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1842navigableWiktionary, English navigable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1842, GEOGRAPHY OF THE DESPATCHES.: “Shanghai is situated on this river, about twelve miles…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- ‘to swim’

nurse, insulin, nutrient, nausea, nurture, nutritious, insular, nourish, insula, 25 more

through Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us ‘boat’

noise, nautical, aeronautics, nautilus, nef, astronautics, 12 more

through Latin nāvis ‘ship’

naval, nao, nau, nacelle, navicular, 7 more

through Latin nāvigō ‘to sail’

navy, 4 more

Today it means

adj Capable of being navigated; deep enough and wide enough to afford passage to vessels.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “navigable”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin navigo, Latin navigabilis. 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 *(s)neh₂- / navigable

Shirt and support for this word