Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

I have an entity and I would like to describe it as being able to be archived.

Is it archivable, archiveable (which seem OK for me but no wiktionary.org results) or something else?

share|improve this question
2  
@RegDwight I know the rule to create words like this but I know there are exceptions I could not find this word unfortunately. – KARASZI István Feb 9 '11 at 10:52

3 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

Archivable is correct. -e more often than not drops off when adding -able (it varies a lot, mostly based on whether the word looks better with or without the e; I wouldn't say this is a case that greatly calls for keeping it, and the Google stats tend to indicate others agree).

share|improve this answer
Simply correct or are there any better? :) – KARASZI István Feb 9 '11 at 10:48
@KARASZI István: If what you mean is that something can be archived, "archivable" is as good as it gets. – chaos Feb 9 '11 at 10:51
3  
"Generally drops off" is a bold claim. Borrowing a leaf from ShreevatsaR: "tradeable, smokeable, driveable, shareable, canoeable, diagnoseable, disagreeable, dislikeable, fireable, foreseeable, handleable, hireable, machineable, microwaveable, removeable, settleable, throttleable, unforeseeable, unnameable, upgradeable, whistleable". And in British English: "likeable, liveable, rateable, saleable, sizeable, unshakeable". – RegDwighт♦ Feb 9 '11 at 10:53
@RegDwight: Well, I'd see that and raise you, but there are 69 words in a Debian /usr/share/dict/words that do appear to be formed by dropping -e and adding -able (excluding words formed by dropping more than a -e, like abominable), and the list is more than a hundred characters too long to post in a comment. I think you're right that "generally" is too much to say, though; it had been nagging at me too. – chaos Feb 9 '11 at 11:08
1  
@HorusKol: canoeing, disagreeing, foreseeing. I think a rule for "ing" is if the word ends in two vowels, you leave them both. – Peter Shor Oct 5 '11 at 20:01
show 1 more comment
up vote 3 down vote

It is archivable, in the same way from cite you get citable.

There are some differences between British English and American English. In British English, such adjectives (derived from a verb ending in -e) are preferred when they end with -eable; in American English, the preferred form ends in -able (the -e is removed from the verb).
The dictionary I have (the NOAD) doesn't report the word archivable, but it reports citable as derivative of cite, and archival as derivative of archive.

share|improve this answer
up vote 2 down vote

The best reference point I can think of is "livable." I found this post because I had the same question about an interface I wanted to name "IArchivable." Looks to me like--regardless of how we got there, the consensus (on this side of the pond) is "archivable." So, that's what I'll be using!^)

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.