non-substitutability
|non-sub-sti-tu-ta-bi-li-ty|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑn.səbˌstɪtjuːtəˈbɪlɪti/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒn.səbˌstɪtʃuːtəˈbɪlɪti/
not able to be replaced
Etymology
'non-substitutability' is formed in Modern English by adding the negative prefix 'non-' to 'substitutability', itself formed from 'substitute' + the nominalizing suffix '-ability'. 'non-' originates from Latin 'non' meaning 'not'.
'substitutability' derives from the verb 'substitute', which comes from Latin 'substituō/substituere' (to put in place of). The verb passed into Old French and Middle English as 'substituten / substitute' and later took the suffix '-ability' in Modern English to create 'substitutability'; 'non-' was prefixed to negate it, producing 'non-substitutability'.
Initially the Latin root conveyed the concrete action 'to put in place of'; over time English formed abstract nouns like 'substitutability' meaning 'capacity to be replaced', and 'non-substitutability' now denotes the absence of that capacity—'not able to be substituted.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the state or quality of being not substitutable; the inability or unsuitability of something to be replaced or exchanged by something else.
The non-substitutability of the original manuscript made it essential to preserve, as no replica could convey the same provenance.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/10 14:00