Word of the Day

: December 3, 2015

durable

adjective DUR-uh-bul

What It Means

: able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration; also : designed to be durable

durable in Context

The couch is covered in a pretty yet durable fabric, and it should last for years.

"Fall is all about layers. Fleece, flannel and down feel cozy, while durable, antimicrobial merino wool is beloved for keeping you warm or cool as needed (and smelling fresh even after you exercise)." — Self, November 2015

Did You Know?

Something durable lasts a long time, so it's no surprise that the word comes to us, via Anglo-French, from the Latin verb durare, meaning "to last." Other descendants of durare in English include during, endure,and durance (which now mostly turns up in the phrase in durance vile, a fancy way of saying "in prison"). Durable even has a near synonym in the much rarer perdurable, which combines durare with the prefix per- (meaning "throughout") to create a word that can mean "lasting a very long time or indefinitely" or "eternal."