-bilis

See also: bilis and bílis

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *-ðlis, from Proto-Indo-European i-stem form *-dʰlis of *-dʰlom (“instrumental suffix”). Akin to -bulum.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /bi.lis/, [bɪlʲɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /bi.lis/, [bilis] (stressed on the antepenult)

Suffix

-bilis (neuter -bile); third-declension two-termination suffix

1. -(a)ble; used to form an adjective, usually from a verb, indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon.

Usage notes

The suffix -bilis is added to a verb to form an adjective noun of relationship to that verb.

Examples:

stabilis (“stable”), from stō (“stand”)

habilis (“handy, skillful”), from habeō (“to have”) (with haplology, for *habibilis)

nūbilis (“marriageable”), from nūbō (“to marry”) (with haplology, for *nūbibilis)

Sometimes it is added to the verb's perfect past participle stem (this should not be confused with derivatives of first-declension frequentative verbs, which have stems ending in -tā-).

Examples:

‎contemnō (“to scorn, despise”) + ‎-bilis → ‎contemptibilis (“contemptible”)

‎flectō (“to bend, curve”) + ‎-bilis → ‎flexibilis (“flexible, pliant, tractable”)

‎videō (“to see”) + ‎-bilis → ‎vīsibilis (“visible”)

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

	singular			plural
	masc./fem.	neuter		masc./fem.	neuter
nominative	-bilis	-bile		-bilēs	-bilia
genitive	-bilis			-bilium
dative	-bilī			-bilibus
accusative	-bilem	-bile		-bilēs -bilīs	-bilia
ablative	-bilī			-bilibus
vocative	-bilis	-bile		-bilēs	-bilia

• comparative: -bilior, superlative: -bilissimus

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -bilis

• -ābilis
• -ibilis

Descendants

• Catalan: -able, -ible, -èvol
• English: -able, -ible
• Esperanto: -ebla, ebla
• French: -able
• Interlingua: -bile
• Italian: -abile, -evole
• Portuguese: -ável, -ível
• Romanian: -abil, -ibil
• Sicilian: -àbbili
• Spanish: -able, -ible

See also

• -ilis