Estimable

Estimable is an English adjective with two primary senses. In everyday use it means worthy of esteem or respect, as in an estimable colleague or an estimable citizen. In more technical or historical contexts it can also mean capable of being estimated or appraised; for example, in discussions of value or magnitude an estimable quantity may be referred to. However, the second sense is uncommon in contemporary general prose and more typical of formal, legal, financial, or older texts.

Etymology: The word derives from Middle English via Old French estimeble, from Latin aestimabilis, from aestimare, meaning to value, judge, or estimate.

Historical usage: The sense of being worthy of esteem has long been common in literature and speech. The sense of being capable of estimation appears mainly in scholarly, legal, or technical writing and is less frequent in modern everyday language.

Usage notes: In modern English, estimable almost always conveys respect or admiration. When a quantitative sense is intended, writers typically use terms like estimate, estimation, or value, or may refer to an estimable parameter in specialized technical contexts.

See also: esteem, estimate, estimation, estimator, estimable parameter.