Differentiating the meaning of the -able suffix ('able to be' vs 'to be')

Question

The suffix -able has several meanings, one of them is:

(forming adjectives) to be: payable

How does one differentiate this meaning from the other meanins of -able? For example, how does one know whether payable means able to be paid or to be paid?
By the way, I didn't find other examples for the "to be"-meaning except for payable. Could you provide other examples?

Ryan M · Accepted Answer

"Payable" does mean "able to be paid"— specifically, it means "that may, can, or must be paid."
I'm assuming you're referring to the use of "payable" in "accounts payable." This refers to "the balance due to a creditor on a current account," or in other words, the amount that must be paid. Accounts (that are) payable are those that can (must) be paid.

Greybeard · Answer

How does one differentiate this meaning from the other meanings of -able? For example, how does one know whether payable means able to be paid or to be paid?

The solution is simple: you look at the context. The importance of context cannot be overstated. In English, (and probably a lot of other languages,) words without context may have several meanings: e.g. "Bank" - a place to deposit money, or the side of a river - how do we know the difference?

Differentiating the meaning of the -able suffix ('able to be' vs 'to be')

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