entry
supposably
/səˈpoʊzəbli/In a way that may reasonably be supposed or presumed
From Latin, transmitted through Old French and Middle English suppose (to put under).
Word Ancestry
Picture a Roman placing one object beneath another: that physical act was Latin subponere, “put under,” and it eventually supplied the abstract machinery behind suppose. By about 1300, English speakers had borrowed Old French suposer, using it for an idea mentally placed beneath an argument—something assumed so the reasoning could stand on it. Add -able, and supposable meant “capable of being supposed”; add -ly, and supposably appeared by 1795. Wait, really? The word is not simply a meaningless blunder: historical evidence records it as a genuine adverb, though many speakers now use it as a criticized substitute for supposedly. The safest memory hook is a mental platform: suppose puts an idea underneath, supposable says it can stand there, and supposably describes how it stands.
The Story
Picture a Roman placing one object beneath another: that physical act was Latin subponere, “put under,” and it eventually supplied the abstract machinery behind suppose. By about 1300, English speakers had borrowed Old French suposer, using it for an idea mentally placed beneath an argument—something assumed so the reasoning could stand on it. Add -able, and supposable meant “capable of being supposed”; add -ly, and supposably appeared by 1795. Wait, really? The word is not simply a meaningless blunder: historical evidence records it as a genuine adverb, though many speakers now use it as a criticized substitute for supposedly. The safest memory hook is a mental platform: suppose puts an idea underneath, supposable says it can stand there, and supposably describes how it stands.
Modern Usage
An informal, often disparaging label for using supposably instead of supposedly; the term is also used mockingly to question someone’s English ability.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries use the word chiefly to ridicule speakers who confuse it with supposedly.
Kin & Kindred
From 'suppose'·to put under; assume or hypothesize
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From '-able'·capable of being; fit to be
Derived Terms
English words from this root