What does weighable mean?
Weighable is an adjective meaning capable of being weighed, usually because an object’s mass or weight can be measured. It is especially useful in shipping, handling, commerce, and scientific contexts, where determining weight may affect transport, cost, safety, or quality control. A small but heavy parcel and a large but light container are both weighable; the word describes the possibility of measurement, not the result. Weighable should not be confused with wearable, which concerns something suitable or designed to be worn. Although less common than weight or weigh, weighable is useful when the emphasis is on measurability rather than the act of weighing or the amount a thing weighs.
adjectiveCapable of being weighed; able to have its weight or mass measured.
- Capable of being weighed, so that its weight or mass can be measured.
"Only materials with stable moisture content are reliably weighable."
"The courier asked whether the parcel was weighable before assigning a shipping rate."
"The museum required every donated object to be weighable before cataloguing it."
Weighable is not weighty: it means that something can be measured, not that it matters a great deal.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does weighable come from?
Weighable was formed in English by attaching the suffix -able to weigh, creating an adjective meaning “able to be weighed.” Weigh descends from Old English wegan, “to weigh, balance, or consider,” a verb whose meanings already extended beyond physical measurement to figurative consideration. The suffix -able entered English through French and ultimately comes from Latin -abilis, meaning “able to be.”
How weighable is actually used
Predominantly attributive and normally placed before a noun. It is especially common in shipping, logistics, and technical or scientific contexts, but less frequent in ordinary conversation. It describes the capacity to be weighed, not the action of weighing or the amount something weighs.
Easily confused with weighable
Weighable means capable of being weighed, whereas wearable means suitable or designed to be worn.