Tenables

Tenables is a rarely used plural form that may appear in English texts to refer to multiple propositions, points, or positions that are defendable or tenable. In standard usage, the common noun form is tenability, and tenable is typically an adjective meaning capable of being held or defended. When tenables is encountered, it is usually in specialized or technical writing where a writer wishes to refer to several tenable propositions as a collective.

Etymology and meaning: Tenable derives from the adjective tenable, which itself comes from Old French tenir, meaning to hold. The related noun tenability, formed with the suffix -ability, denotes the quality of being tenable. The plural form tenables, while understandable, is not widely established in dictionaries and may be judged stylistically unconventional.

Usage and context: In philosophy, law, and scientific argumentation, writers commonly discuss the tenability of a theory, claim, or hypothesis. When referring to multiple defendable elements, authors may use phrases such as “the tenable points of the argument” rather than “the tenables.” If used, tenables should be clear from context as referring to items that can be defended under scrutiny, rather than to a discrete, widely recognized category.

Related concepts and terms: Tenability, tenable, validity, soundness, and robustness are closely related in discussions of argument quality and evidentiary support. See also discussions of proof, inference, and critical appraisal.

In summary, tenables is an infrequently used plural form associated with defendable propositions, but tenability or tenable propositions are the more conventional expressions in scholarly writing.