What does divisible mean?
Divisible is an adjective describing anything that can be divided — broken into parts, shared out, or split up without losing its identity. In everyday use it applies to physical objects (a divisible plot of land) and abstract ones (a divisible responsibility), while in mathematics it has a precise technical meaning: one number is divisible by another if dividing leaves no remainder, as when 12 is divisible by 3. The word also appears in legal contexts, where a divisible contract or obligation can be apportioned among parties. Its opposite, indivisible — famously invoked in the United States Pledge of Allegiance as 'one nation indivisible' — highlights how central the idea of divisibility is to law, arithmetic, and political unity alike. Derived from Latin dividere, 'to force apart', divisible remains a precise, versatile term wherever the question of separation arises.
adjectiveCapable of being divided, especially into separate parts or pieces; in mathematics, capable of being divided by another number without leaving a remainder.
- Capable of being physically or conceptually split into parts.
- (Mathematics) Able to be divided by a given number with no remainder.
"The estate was divisible among the four heirs according to the terms of the will."
"The cake is easily divisible into twelve equal slices."
"A year is a leap year only if it is divisible by four — and, for century years, by four hundred."
Every leap year since 1582 has owed its existence to one simple test: whether the year number is divisible by four.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of divisible
Divisible derives from Latin dividere, meaning 'to divide' or 'to force apart', combined with the adjectival suffix -bilis indicating capability. It entered English via Old French in the late Middle English period, around the fifteenth century. The same Latin root gives English a large family of related words, including division, dividend, individual (literally 'not dividable'), and device.
Related word forms
How divisible is actually used
Divisible is largely neutral in register and appears frequently in legal, mathematical, and everyday contexts. In mathematics it typically appears in the pattern 'divisible by X'; in legal language, 'divisible contract' refers to an agreement whose obligations can be apportioned into separate parts. It carries no strong connotations of either approval or disapproval.
Easily confused with divisible
Indivisible means the exact opposite — something that cannot be divided or separated into parts.