English
notable
Notable comes from Anglo-Norman notable ‘noteworthy’, and goes back to Latin notō ‘to note, mark’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnotō1‘to note, mark’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnotābilis1‘noteworthy, extraordinary’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400notable1‘noteworthy’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500notable1‘worthy of note, profitable, useful’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1591notable1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English notable
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1591, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona: “[...] how sayest thou, that my master is become…”.
Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnotōWiktionary, English notable‘to note, mark’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnotābilisWiktionary, English notable‘noteworthy, extraordinary’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400notableWiktionary, English notable‘noteworthy’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500notableWiktionary, English notable‘worthy of note, profitable, useful’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1591notableWiktionary, English notable. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1591, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona: “[...] how sayest thou, that my master is become…”
Linked words
through Latin notō ‘to note, mark’
Today it means
adj Worthy of note; remarkable; memorable; noted or distinguished.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “notable”. 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 notō / notable