frangible

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰreg-“to break”
2. Latin · derived fromfrangere
3. Medieval Latin · derived fromfrangibilis
4. Middle French · derived fromfrangible
5. Middle English · inherited fromfrangible
6. English todayfrangible

From Late Middle English frangible, frangibil, from Middle French frangible, or from Medieval Latin frangibilis, from Latin frangere (from frangō (“to break, shatter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”)) + -ibilis (suffix forming adjectives indicating a capacity or worth of being acted upon).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from early 15th c. Able to be broken; breakable, fragile.