edible
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of edible
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin edibilis, equivalent to ed(ere) “to eat” + -ibilis adjective suffix; see origin at eat ( def. ), -ible
Explanation
If it’s edible, you can eat it. Many things that you may not want to eat are, in fact, edible. Certain insects are edible, which just means that you can consume them without getting sick (if it doesn't gross you out too much). Edible comes from the Latin word edere, which means “to eat.” Anything that people can safely eat is described as edible. Long before there were complex labels on our packages of food, human predecessors were living in caves and sampling various plants and animals for their survival, all the while learning the hard way whether or not certain things were either edible or poisonous. You are most likely a descendant of the ones who found the edible stuff.
Vocabulary lists containing edible
NAEP Test Words
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I think it’s safe to say that a math formula written on a sheet of paper is not a conscious entity—just as a croissant recipe is not an edible pastry.
From Slate • May 25, 2026
“If it’s weird and attention-grabbing and will get shared, it almost is irrelevant whether or not the food is edible or delicious,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Crude palm oil sentiment may remain volatile as weaker competing edible oils weigh on sentiment, AmInvestment Bank says.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Broadcaster NHK identified one of the two as Chiyoko Kumagai, 69, who went missing after going to a mountain forest to pick edible wild plants.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
I loved that we lived within rollerblading distance of a local Japanese market that sold candy with edible wrappers.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
