Liable
/ˈlaɪ.ə.bəl/noun
Responsible by law or obligation; likely to do or experience something.
Did you know?The word comes through Old French from Latin *ligāre*, meaning “to bind,” the same ancient root behind words for tying, fastening, and even legal obligation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leig-
“to bind, tie”
Latin
Latin
ligāre
“to bind, tie”
Late Latin
Latin
līābilis
“bound or liable (by legal sense)”
Old French
Old French
liable
“obligated; answerable”
14th–15th Century
Middle English
liable
“subject to or exposed to something”
Modern English
English
liable
“responsible by law or likely to be affected by something”