Viability
/ˌvaɪ.əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/noun
The quality of being capable of living, surviving, or developing successfully.
Did you know?Viability comes from Latin *vīvus* (“living”), the same ancient life-root behind *vital*, *survive*, and *revive*—so the word literally carries the grammar of life and endurance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷih₃wós
“alive, living”
Latin
Latin
vīvus
“alive, living”
Latin
Latin
vīvitās
“liveliness, life”
Late Latin
Latin
vīābilitās
“capability of living or being workable”
14th–17th Century
English
viable / viability
“capable of living, especially in reference to an infant or fetus; later, capable of success or practical use”