legibleadj.n.

Brit.

/ˈlɛdʒᵻbl/, U.S.

/ˈlɛdʒəbəl/

Forms:

α. 1500s–1600s legeable, 1500s– legable (now nonstandard; see note in etymology); also Scottish pre-1700 legeable, pre-1700 legiable.

β. late Middle English legeble, late Middle English legibyll, late Middle English legibylle, late Middle English– legible.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin legibilis.

Etymology: < classical Latin legibilis readable (2nd cent. a.d.) < legere to read (see lection n.) + -bilis -ble suffix.With the α. forms compare -able suffix. In later use only as a misspelling or typographical error.

A. adj.

1. Of handwriting or print: clear enough to read; easily made out.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > reading > [adjective] > capable of being read

legible1407

readablea1425

perusable1759

society > communication > writing > written text > [adjective] > capable of being read, legible

legible1407

readablea1425

1407 in W. Fraser Memorials Montgomeries (1859) II. 20 Quhilk infeftment is weill auld, the letteris of sindrie wordis..is ane pairt..consumit, and be schort spaice the same wil becum skairclie legiable.

?1445–6 in H. Nicolas Proc. & Ordinances Privy Council (1837) VI. 325 For the writyng[e] and makyng[e] of certein bokes in yo^r escheker of large and legible hand[e] and in gret volumys.

c1480 (a1400) St. Agatha 283 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 366 Wrytine ves in þat tabil rycht fare lettire & legeable.

1544 Bp. S. Gardiner Let. 5 July (1933) 123 The letters cam to my handes a lytel perished with water, but they be nevertheles legible for theffecte.

1560 W. Ward tr. G. Ruscelli 2nd Pt. Secretes Alexis of Piemont ii. 8 b Dresse the letters after thys maner..and they shalbe legible.

a1627 T. Middleton Chast Mayd in Cheape-side (1630) v. 60 A faire, fast, legible Hand.

1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 403 Strange Characters..so eaten out by time, that they were not legible.

1721 J. Swift Let. to Young Gentleman 17 Their Heads held down..within an Inch of the Cushion, to read what is hardly legible.

1769 J. Hall-Stevenson Yorick's Sentimental Journey Continued III. 123 It was written..upon a piece of paper that required some reparations to make it legible.

1823 Ld. Byron Let. 12 Apr. (1980) X. 147 If my handwriting is not decypherable—I will try to make it legible.

1874 J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Parish Churches 218 Over each box should be a legible inscription.

1916 G. B. Shaw Pygmalion Pref. 101 His [sc. Sweet's] true objective was the provision of a full, accurate, legible script for our noble but ill-dressed language.

1976 Musical Times 117 834/1 The miniature scores of these works are very lightly printed, and are at times barely legible.

2008 Indianapolis Star 13 Jan. (Early ed.) f16/4 (advt.) Busy Ophthalmic practice seeking medical assistant/scribe to assist clinic physicians... Neat, legible handwriting a must.

2. Of text, a written work, etc.: (originally) available for reading; (later usually) comprehensible, intelligible; enjoyable or interesting to read.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > [adjective] > of composition, easy to read

legible1558

society > communication > reading > [adjective] > capable of being read > with pleasure, interest, etc.

legible1558

readable1738

perusable1759

1558 (?a1440) B. Burgh in E. P. Hammond Eng. Verse between Chaucer & Surrey (1927) 189/2 (MED) Thenlumynyd boke where in a man shall rede thes and mo be in this londe legeble.

1592 T. Nashe Strange Newes sig. I2 Truthable & legible English.

1676 W. Hubbard Happiness of People Pref. For their sakes who..were denied the opportunity to be of the Auditory, I have condescended to make it Legible.

1791 G. Washington Let. 30 Nov. in T. Jefferson Papers (1986) XXII. 358 The press copy..is so dull as to be scarcely legible.

1820 P. B. Shelley Let. 12 July (1964) II. 213 I am translating in ottava rima the ‘Hymn to Mercury’... My next effort will be, that it should be legible—a quality much to be desired in translations.

1840 J. S. Mill Diss. & Disc. (1859) II. 121 French books are supposed to be sufficiently legible in England without translation.

1903 A. E. Housman in M. Manilius Astronomicon I. p. xiii Not one good MS had yet been brought to light, and the transformation which first made Manilius a legible author was the work of Scaliger's own unaided wits.

1982 Times 20 Apr. 24/3 The volume..might shed some of its 1,298 pages—and be more legible.

2003 P. Mommaers Riddle of Christian Mystical Experience Foreword 4 Dr Joseph Munitiz..helped me with great patience to transform the spoken lectures into a legible book.

3. gen. That can be easily understood or interpreted; having a readily discernible nature or significance.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > pointing out > [adjective] > obvious

brightOE

evidenta1393

legible1593

pointed1768

screaming1976

1593 R. S. Phœnix Nest 4 I trowe that countenance cannot lie, Whose thoughts are legible in the eie.

1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Dd4^v That excellent correspondence, which is betweene Gods reuealed will, and his secret will..is not legible to the Naturall Man.

1652 W. Blith Eng. Improver Improved To Rdr. sig. C4 I have..endeavoured to make my thoughts as legible as I can.

1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses (1899) III. 112 His epitaph is legible in the larg volumes of his workes.

1695 J. Collier Misc. upon Moral Subj. 97 Peoples Opinions of themselves, are commonly legible in their Countenances.

1774 T. Jefferson Autobiogr. App., in Wks. (1859) I. 141 The great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader.

1825 C. Lamb in London Mag. May 68 My fellows in the office would sometimes rally me upon the trouble legible in my countenance.

1892 Notts. Guardian 16 Apr. 6/7 The history of the building, as legible to us from a cursory inspection, does not end with 1450.

1952 W. J. Miller Introd. Hist. Geol. (ed. 6) xi. 103 From the Cambrian on, the legible records of events of earth history are far more abundant and less defaced than those of pre-Cambrian time.

2009 Financial Times 30 Sept. 15/5 Several carved panels and paper exhibits would have been more legible had they been tilted instead of lying flat.

B. n.

1. With the. That which is legible.

ΚΠ

1810 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 213 The poem..may indeed be divided..into the two great compartments of the legible and the illegible.

1861 Biblical Repertory Apr. 282 Ruins, of course, are fragmentary;..but, after all, the mass of the legible and connected is such, upon many epochs, as to furnish a breadth and a certainty of information which even written history by itself could not afford.

1982 L. Marin in E. S. Shaffer Compar. Critic. IV. i. 3 The relationships between literature and painting, and more precisely between the legible and the visible in a painting.

2001 G. Steiner Grammars of Creation 314 The reflex whereby we tend to confound concepts of creativity and invention with textuality, with the legible, is, in the main, that of western cultures.

†2. In plural. Reading matter. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > reading > [noun] > reading matter

reading?c1225

reading matter1704

readable1848

legibles1864

bumf1917

1864 Realm 10 Feb. 1 National education too much resembles the powerful winch of a literary air-pump, screwing up the demand for legibles, and lightening the atmospheric pressure of criticism on the supply.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	legible
释义	legibleadj.n. Brit. /ˈlɛdʒᵻbl/, U.S. /ˈlɛdʒəbəl/ Forms: α. 1500s–1600s legeable, 1500s– legable (now nonstandard; see note in etymology); also Scottish pre-1700 legeable, pre-1700 legiable. β. late Middle English legeble, late Middle English legibyll, late Middle English legibylle, late Middle English– legible. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin legibilis. Etymology: < classical Latin legibilis readable (2nd cent. a.d.) < legere to read (see lection n.) + -bilis -ble suffix.With the α. forms compare -able suffix. In later use only as a misspelling or typographical error. A. adj. 1. Of handwriting or print: clear enough to read; easily made out. ΘΚΠ society > communication > reading > [adjective] > capable of being read legible1407 readablea1425 perusable1759 society > communication > writing > written text > [adjective] > capable of being read, legible legible1407 readablea1425 1407 in W. Fraser Memorials Montgomeries (1859) II. 20 Quhilk infeftment is weill auld, the letteris of sindrie wordis..is ane pairt..consumit, and be schort spaice the same wil becum skairclie legiable. ?1445–6 in H. Nicolas Proc. & Ordinances Privy Council (1837) VI. 325 For the writyng[e] and makyng[e] of certein bokes in yo^r escheker of large and legible hand[e] and in gret volumys. c1480 (a1400) St. Agatha 283 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 366 Wrytine ves in þat tabil rycht fare lettire & legeable. 1544 Bp. S. Gardiner Let. 5 July (1933) 123 The letters cam to my handes a lytel perished with water, but they be nevertheles legible for theffecte. 1560 W. Ward tr. G. Ruscelli 2nd Pt. Secretes Alexis of Piemont ii. 8 b Dresse the letters after thys maner..and they shalbe legible. a1627 T. Middleton Chast Mayd in Cheape-side (1630) v. 60 A faire, fast, legible Hand. 1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 403 Strange Characters..so eaten out by time, that they were not legible. 1721 J. Swift Let. to Young Gentleman 17 Their Heads held down..within an Inch of the Cushion, to read what is hardly legible. 1769 J. Hall-Stevenson Yorick's Sentimental Journey Continued III. 123 It was written..upon a piece of paper that required some reparations to make it legible. 1823 Ld. Byron Let. 12 Apr. (1980) X. 147 If my handwriting is not decypherable—I will try to make it legible. 1874 J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Parish Churches 218 Over each box should be a legible inscription. 1916 G. B. Shaw Pygmalion Pref. 101 His [sc. Sweet's] true objective was the provision of a full, accurate, legible script for our noble but ill-dressed language. 1976 Musical Times 117 834/1 The miniature scores of these works are very lightly printed, and are at times barely legible. 2008 Indianapolis Star 13 Jan. (Early ed.) f16/4 (advt.) Busy Ophthalmic practice seeking medical assistant/scribe to assist clinic physicians... Neat, legible handwriting a must. 2. Of text, a written work, etc.: (originally) available for reading; (later usually) comprehensible, intelligible; enjoyable or interesting to read. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > [adjective] > of composition, easy to read legible1558 society > communication > reading > [adjective] > capable of being read > with pleasure, interest, etc. legible1558 readable1738 perusable1759 1558 (?a1440) B. Burgh in E. P. Hammond Eng. Verse between Chaucer & Surrey (1927) 189/2 (MED) Thenlumynyd boke where in a man shall rede thes and mo be in this londe legeble. 1592 T. Nashe Strange Newes sig. I2 Truthable & legible English. 1676 W. Hubbard Happiness of People Pref. For their sakes who..were denied the opportunity to be of the Auditory, I have condescended to make it Legible. 1791 G. Washington Let. 30 Nov. in T. Jefferson Papers (1986) XXII. 358 The press copy..is so dull as to be scarcely legible. 1820 P. B. Shelley Let. 12 July (1964) II. 213 I am translating in ottava rima the ‘Hymn to Mercury’... My next effort will be, that it should be legible—a quality much to be desired in translations. 1840 J. S. Mill Diss. & Disc. (1859) II. 121 French books are supposed to be sufficiently legible in England without translation. 1903 A. E. Housman in M. Manilius Astronomicon I. p. xiii Not one good MS had yet been brought to light, and the transformation which first made Manilius a legible author was the work of Scaliger's own unaided wits. 1982 Times 20 Apr. 24/3 The volume..might shed some of its 1,298 pages—and be more legible. 2003 P. Mommaers Riddle of Christian Mystical Experience Foreword 4 Dr Joseph Munitiz..helped me with great patience to transform the spoken lectures into a legible book. 3. gen. That can be easily understood or interpreted; having a readily discernible nature or significance. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > pointing out > [adjective] > obvious brightOE evidenta1393 legible1593 pointed1768 screaming1976 1593 R. S. Phœnix Nest 4 I trowe that countenance cannot lie, Whose thoughts are legible in the eie. 1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Dd4^v That excellent correspondence, which is betweene Gods reuealed will, and his secret will..is not legible to the Naturall Man. View more context for this quotation 1652 W. Blith Eng. Improver Improved To Rdr. sig. C4 I have..endeavoured to make my thoughts as legible as I can. 1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses (1899) III. 112 His epitaph is legible in the larg volumes of his workes. 1695 J. Collier Misc. upon Moral Subj. 97 Peoples Opinions of themselves, are commonly legible in their Countenances. 1774 T. Jefferson Autobiogr. App., in Wks. (1859) I. 141 The great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader. 1825 C. Lamb in London Mag. May 68 My fellows in the office would sometimes rally me upon the trouble legible in my countenance. 1892 Notts. Guardian 16 Apr. 6/7 The history of the building, as legible to us from a cursory inspection, does not end with 1450. 1952 W. J. Miller Introd. Hist. Geol. (ed. 6) xi. 103 From the Cambrian on, the legible records of events of earth history are far more abundant and less defaced than those of pre-Cambrian time. 2009 Financial Times 30 Sept. 15/5 Several carved panels and paper exhibits would have been more legible had they been tilted instead of lying flat. B. n. 1. With the. That which is legible. ΚΠ 1810 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 213 The poem..may indeed be divided..into the two great compartments of the legible and the illegible. 1861 Biblical Repertory Apr. 282 Ruins, of course, are fragmentary;..but, after all, the mass of the legible and connected is such, upon many epochs, as to furnish a breadth and a certainty of information which even written history by itself could not afford. 1982 L. Marin in E. S. Shaffer Compar. Critic. IV. i. 3 The relationships between literature and painting, and more precisely between the legible and the visible in a painting. 2001 G. Steiner Grammars of Creation 314 The reflex whereby we tend to confound concepts of creativity and invention with textuality, with the legible, is, in the main, that of western cultures. †2. In plural. Reading matter. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > communication > reading > [noun] > reading matter reading?c1225 reading matter1704 readable1848 legibles1864 bumf1917 1864 Realm 10 Feb. 1 National education too much resembles the powerful winch of a literary air-pump, screwing up the demand for legibles, and lightening the atmospheric pressure of criticism on the supply. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.1407
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