What does lacerable mean?
Lacerable means capable of being torn, ripped, or lacerated. It describes a material, surface, or tissue that is vulnerable to tearing, often while also suggesting that the material may split or rupture under force. The word is formal and relatively uncommon, but it is especially useful in technical, medical, and materials-science descriptions where the distinction between something that can be torn and something that is merely flexible may matter. For example, leather may be flexible yet still lacerable, while a material described as non-lacerable is intended to resist tearing. In ordinary conversation, “can be torn” or “tearable” will usually sound more natural. Lacerable also forms a useful contrast with lacerate, a verb meaning to tear or rip, and laceration, a noun referring to the resulting wound or tear.
adjectiveCapable of being lacerated, torn, or ripped. Usually used of material, tissue, or surfaces that can be damaged by tearing.
- Capable of being torn, ripped, or lacerated.
"The thin membrane was highly lacerable and tore easily under pressure."
"The synthetic skin was designed to remain strong but lacerable under extreme stress."
"Only lacerable tissue should be included in this assessment."
Lacerable answers a deceptively practical question: could it be torn?
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of lacerable
Lacerable was formed in English with the suffix -able, meaning “capable of being” or “liable to be,” attached to lacerate. Lacerate ultimately comes from Latin lacerare, “to tear or rend,” with lacer meaning “torn” or “mangled.” The English verb and the noun laceration belong to the same Latin-derived family as the adjective.
How lacerable is actually used
A rare and formal adjective, encountered chiefly in technical, medical, or descriptive contexts. It usually appears before a noun or in predicative constructions such as “readily lacerable.”
Easily confused with lacerable
Lacerable is an adjective describing something capable of being torn, whereas lacerate is a verb describing the act of tearing it.
Lacerable describes a material's susceptibility to tearing, whereas a laceration is the tear or wound itself.