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plau·si·ble

(plôzə-bəl)

adj.

1. Seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; credible: a plausible excuse.

2. Persuasive or ingratiating, especially in an effort to deceive.

[Latin plausibilis, deserving applause, from plausus, past participle of plaudere, to applaud.]

plau′si·bili·ty, plausi·ble·ness n.

plausi·bly adv.

Synonyms: plausible, believable, credible
These adjectives mean appearing to merit belief or acceptance: a plausible pretext; a believable excuse; a credible assertion.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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