viable definition - Dictionary

Dictionary

vi·a·ble [ v əb'l ]

adjective

Definition:

1. practicable or worthwhile: able to be done or worth doing

a viable proposition

2. biology able to grow: able to germinate or develop normally

3. medicine able to survive outside womb: describes a fetus that can survive outside the womb

[Early 19th century. < French vie, < Latin vita "life"]

vi·a·bil·i·ty [ v ə bíllətee ] noun

vi·a·bly [ v əblee ] adverb

Word Usage


	The word viable was originally restricted to the senses of "able to grow" and "able to survive," as in a viable fetus. However, its extended sense of "able to be done or worth doing," as in viable alternatives, is well established in the language.