Capable of being doubted; able to be questioned or uncertain.
Formed from 'doubt' (from Old French 'douter,' from Latin 'dubitare') plus the suffix '-able' (from Latin 'habilis,' capable). This creation follows standard English word formation patterns where '-able' indicates possibility or capacity.
While 'doubtable' seems like it should mean 'able to doubt' (a normal action we all do), it actually means 'able to be doubted'—a subtle flip in meaning that shows how English grammatically can turn any verb into both 'can do X' and 'can be X'd.'
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