Liable to or deserving punishment according to law or moral standards. Subject to penalty or retribution for wrongdoing.
From Old French puniss- (stem of punir) meaning 'to punish,' from Latin punire 'to inflict penalty.' The suffix -able indicates capability or liability. The root connects to Latin poena meaning 'penalty.'
The concept of what's 'punishable' varies dramatically across cultures and time periods - actions that were capital offenses in medieval Europe might be minor infractions today, while some modern crimes didn't exist in earlier eras. Legal systems constantly evolve their definitions of punishable behavior as society's values change.
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