'breathable' originates from English, formed from the verb 'breathe' + the adjectival suffix '-able', where '-able' ultimately comes from Old French '-able' and Latin '-abilis' meaning 'able to be'.

'breathe' comes from Old English (forms such as 'brēathan' / 'brēðian'), developed through Middle English forms (e.g. 'brethen' / 'breathe'), and in Modern English the adjective 'breathable' was formed by adding the suffix '-able'.

Initially it meant 'able to breathe' or 'capable of being breathed' (literal relation to breathing); over time it broadened to describe materials that 'allow passage of air' and to describe air that is 'safe or suitable to breathe'.