passablenessn.
/ˈpɑːsəblnəs/, /ˈpasəblnəs/, U.S. /ˈpæsəbəlnəs/ 1. The ability of a river, road, etc., to be crossed, forded, or travelled.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > [noun] > ability to be travelled through or over
passablenessa1687
viability1882
trafficability1899
1657 R. Ligon True Hist. Barbados 75 The unpassableness of the wayes.]
a1687 W. Petty Papers (1927) I. 221 Wee shall find..waters perfectly fresh to bee very broad & deep. Besides the differences of passablenes, which arise from the sides & bottomes of the waters in question.
1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Passableness..capableness of being passed.
1834 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 35 176 There was a river to cross, the passableness of which was very questionable.
1888 J. Q. Bittinger Hist. Haverhill (New Hampsh.) 191 The roads of Haverhill will average in passableness and comfort with the roads of neighboring towns.
1957 D. T. Suzuki in R. N. Anshen World Perspectives (1975) XII. iii. 86 As long as the staff crosses our way, the question of..passableness and impassableness will never be conclusively settled.
1996 Washington Post (Nexis) 11 Sept. c1 The weekend's flood waters washed it out again, but yesterday morning road graders restored its post-January, pre-Fran look of passableness.
2. The quality of being no more than adequate or sufficient. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > mediocrity > [noun]
mediocrity1588
indifferency1608
indifference1690
indifferentness1727
betweenity1760
commonness1779
passableness1779
flavourlessness1865
middlingness1866
normalcy1893
passable1908
1779 E. Wolff En Dansk og Engelsk Ord-bog at Temmelighed Mediocrity, passableness.
1872 N. Webster Dict. Eng. Lang. Indifference, passableness; mediocrity.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.a1687