podictionary, comfortable

Today's podictionary word is comfortable . A fort is a stronghold and that's what's at the root of comfortable. Comfortable is made up of three parts each of which comes to us via Old French and ultimately Latin. We'll start at the end with “-able.” This suffix has a meaning of likelihood, so that something that is comfortable is likely to give comfort, someone who is agreeable is likely to agree, something that is stable is likely to stay or stand. The “com-” in comfortable was once a “con” —but that didn't mean “not” as in pros and cons, it is a prefix that intensifies the main meaning of the word. “Con” appears also in other words, so that “confess” literally means “intensely declare” and “confide” means “intensely trust.” When “comfort” first appeared in English in 1225 it meant encouragement and support—and we still give each other comfort during trying times. So that the literal meaning of comfort makes sense; intensifying someone's strength, their fortitude. Our word for today, “comfortable,” appeared 200 years later and still held it's meaning of giving moral support for 300 years or so until 1770 when it took on the more soft and cushy meaning that chairs and couches evoke.