Propagatable vs propagable?
propagatable
vs propagable
Which one is correct? I've seen both in usage.
Since propagable appears in dictionaries, it might be considered more useful and appropriate in formal or technical writing:
adjective
capable of being propagated
Collins Dictionary
It is derived directly from the Latin propago and the suffix -able:
1560s, "to cause to multiply,"
from Latin propagatus, past participle of propagare "to set forward, extend, procreate"
(see propagation).mid-15c., from Old French propagacion "offshoot, offspring" (13c.) and
directly from Latin propagationem (nominative propagatio) "a propagation, extension, enlargement," noun of action
from past participle stem of propagare "set forward, extend, spread, increase; multiply plants by layers, breed,"
from propago (genitive propaginis) "that which propagates, offspring,"
from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + *pag-, root of pangere "to fasten" (see pact).etymonline.com emphasis added
Propagatable is a back formation from the English propagate, and for informal or colloquial speech, the audible clue of propagate may help less educated listeners discern the meaning. Propagatable has become as recognizable as the equally rare propagable:
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