Origin and history of chargeable

early 13c., chargen, "to load, put a burden on or in; fill with something to be retained," from Old French chargier "to load, burden, weigh down," from Late Latin carricare "to load a wagon or cart," from Latin carrus "two-wheeled wagon" (see car).

The senses of "entrust," "command," and "accuse" all emerged in Middle English and were found in Old French. The sense of "rush in to attack, bear down upon" is from 1560s, perhaps through the earlier meaning "load a weapon" (1540s). The meaning "impose a burden of expense" is from mid-14c. That of "to fix or ask as a price" is from 1787; the meaning "hold liable for payment, enter a debt against" is by 1889. The meaning "fill with electricity" is from 1748. Related: Charged; charging.

common termination and word-forming element of English adjectives (typically based on transitive verbs) with the sense "capable; liable; allowed; worthy; requiring; or bound to be ______ed," sometimes "full of, causing," from French -able and directly from Latin -abilis.

It is properly -ble, from Latin -bilis (the vowel being generally from the stem ending of the verb being suffixed), and it represents PIE *-tro-, a suffix used to form nouns of instrument, cognate with the second syllables of English rudder and saddle (n.).

A living element in English, used in new formations from either Latin or native words (readable, bearable) and also with nouns (objectionable, peaceable). Sometimes with an active signification (suitable, capable), sometimes of neutral signification (durable, conformable). By 20c. it had become very elastic in meaning, as in a reliable witness, a playable foul ball, perishable goods. A 17c. writer has cadaverable "mortal."

To take a single example in detail, no-one but a competent philologist can tell whether reasonable comes from the verb or the noun reason, nor whether its original sense was that can be reasoned out, or that can reason, or that can be reasoned with, or that has reason, or that listens to reason, or that is consistent with reason; the ordinary man knows only that it can now mean any of these, & justifiably bases on these & similar facts a generous view of the termination's capabilities; credible meaning for him worthy of credence, why should not reliable & dependable mean worthy of reliance & dependence? [Fowler]

In Latin, -abilis and -ibilis depended on the inflectional vowel of the verb. Hence the variant form -ible in Old French, Spanish, English. In English, -able tends to be used with native (and other non-Latin) words, -ible with words of obvious Latin origin (but there are exceptions). The Latin suffix is not etymologically connected with able, but it long has been popularly associated with it, and this probably has contributed to its vigor as a living suffix.