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- late 14c., "kindly, friendly," also "worthy of love or admiration," from Old French amiable "pleasant, kind; worthy to be loved" (12c.), from Late Latin amicabilis "friendly," from Latin amicus "friend, loved one," noun use of an adjective, "friendly, loving," from amare "to love" (see Amy).
www.etymonline.com/word/amiable
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Sep 20, 2022 · The form and sense were confused in Old French with amable "lovable" (from Latin amare "to love"), and by 16c. the English word also had a secondary sense of "exciting love or delight," especially by having an agreeable temper and a kind heart.
The earliest known use of the word amiable is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for amiable is from before 1375, in William of Palerne . amiable is a borrowing from French.
Amiable has its roots in amīcus the Latin word for "friend," and can ultimately be traced back to the verb amare, meaning "to love." English has been friendly with amiable since the 14th century, at which time it meant "pleasing" or "admirable" (a sense that is now obsolete).
The earliest known use of the adverb amiably is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for amiably is from before 1400, in Prose Life Christ.
he asked amiably. They parted amiably. We were happy to see our brother there smiling and nodding amiably to us as we got out of the car.
affable. good-humoured. Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples. behaving in a kind and pleasant way. friendly I like his sister - she's so friendly. nice Her boyfriend is really nice. amiable She was perfectly amiable. genial Our genial host led us to our room. congenial He's very congenial and so quite likeable. See more results »
The Latin root of amiably is amicabilis, or "friendly," which in turn comes from the Latin word for "friend," amicus. When you speak amiably, you talk the way you would to a friend — cheerfully, genially and relaxed.
