Word of the Day

: November 29, 2006

affable

play

adjective AF-uh-bul

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What It Means

1 : being pleasant and at ease in talking to others

2 : characterized by ease and friendliness

affable in Context

Betty's father was so affable that when her friends came over they'd usually end up sitting and chatting with him.

Did You Know?

"Affable" is one of several English words that evolved from the Latin verb "fari," which means "to speak." "Affable" comes from the Latin "affabilis," which comes from the "fari" relative "affari" ("to speak to"), plus "-abilis," meaning "able." Some other "fari" derivatives are "infant," "fable," and "fate." "Infant" comes from the Latin "infans," which means "incapable of speech" and combines "in-" and "fans," the present participle of "fari." "Fable" comes from the Latin "fabula," a "fari" offspring that means "conversation." "Fate" comes from the Latin word "fatum," meaning "what has been spoken" and deriving from "fatus," a past participle of "fari."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.