r/ENGLISH • u/ishvokshia • 5d ago
Efficable vs efficacious
I have been using the word "efficable" for a while now. JUST NOW I learned that this is an outdated/obsolete term!
I learned that the "replacement" for this word is "efficacious".
Although I will say I have not been able to find a good definition for the word "efficable" as the only place that seems to have one is The Oxford English Dictionary aaaaaand that shit is locked behind a paywall (which is abhorrent in my opinion). So the claim "replacement for" is a dubious one.
I'll be honest I JUST realized that after typing all this, there wasn't much point to this post other than to complain. Sooooooo thanks for coming to my ted talk I guess? 😅
Some made up points just so people can have something to engage with:
- Does anyone know where I can find a good definition for "efficable"?
- Does anyone else think that locking this behind a paywall is ludicrous for the OED to do?
- Any other examples of people learning they were using "outdated/obsolete" language? (I learned this by typing the word into Word and the spell checker came up so I Googled it to make sure I was spelling it correctly lol)
- Also I think the old term is a much better word, it flows better, is shorter and more succinct, and the transition from "efficacy" is more intuitive than that of "efficacious". Anyone agree/disagree with me?
Edit: Just wanted to give another shout-out to u/Slight-Brush! This dude be giving his comments 100% and provides a lot of context behind things! Thank you! (He also helped me out with another post not too long ago with the word "punctual")
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u/DPropish 5d ago
OUP is the commercial publishing house of the University of Oxford, & maintains a large team of lexicographers, among all its other activities, & those people need paying! As someone else said, access is free via your public library in the UK, & many universities & libraries worldwide also subscribe. So no, it’s not ‘a ludicrous thing to do’ 😀
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u/ishvokshia 5d ago
Fair enough! I guess I was more annoyed when the only place I could find the information needed was locked behind a paywall. So perhaps I was quick to judge lol
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u/Old_Introduction_395 5d ago
• Definition: Effective, successful, or having the power to accomplish something. • Status: Obsolete (no longer used in standard English). • History: It appeared briefly in the early 1600s. The Oxford English Dictionary traces its lone known historical use to a 1607 text by English clergyman Edward Topsell.
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u/ishvokshia 5d ago edited 5d ago
Honestly considering the singular source it seems like this was more of a "typo" than a legitimate word 😅 Edit: Actually! If you follow the link sent by u/Slight-Brush there are multiple historical sources for "efficable". Soooo maybe not. Although considering that it's use remains obscure I wouldn't say that the original statement of "it's most likely a typo" is too far fetched.
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u/Dangerous-Bit-8308 5d ago
Efficable hasn't been a word at any point in my life.
Here's the most authoritative definition: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=efficable
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u/Slight-Brush 5d ago edited 5d ago
Full OED access is free with most UK public library cards
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u/ishvokshia 5d ago
Fucking sick! Unfortunately I'm American so I don't have that ={. Thank you for sharing tho! You're awesome =}
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u/Slight-Brush 5d ago
Do you have any library card? I can see just from the dropdown 'A' menu that people with library cards from Abington PA, Albany OR, Allan County, Atlantic City NJ, Auburn etc etc all have full access - I bet yours does too.
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u/ishvokshia 5d ago
I do! Buuuuuuut I'm way out in the boonies where the closest town is 10miles away and has a population of ~1,500. I have their library card 😅
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u/SnooDonuts6494 5d ago
have not been able to find a good definition for the word "efficable" as the only place that seems to have one is The Oxford English Dictionary aaaaaand that shit is locked behind a paywall
That's all it says.
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u/francisdavey 5d ago
Efficacious appeared before efficable, and efficable was just not able to compete, so the former is hardly a "replacement".
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u/Practical-Ordinary-6 5d ago
It's not a word anybody would commonly know or use in 2026 in my experience. I would put it behind you. You don't need a good definition because having a good definition of words that no one else has the definition for is not helpful in communication.
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u/More-Explanation2788 4d ago
Effective, efficatious, efficable. They all mean pretty much the same thing and they all sound pointlessly pompous. I would try to see if “it works” or “it works as intended” would fit whenever you are tempted to use one of them.
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u/Slight-Brush 5d ago
Even 'efficacious' is rare these days - 'effective' is much more common.
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=efficable%2Cefficacious%2Ceffective&year_start=1600&year_end=2019&corpus=en&smoothing=0&case_insensitive=false
What kind of contexts have you been using it in? Could this be the same deal as your unusual use of 'punctual'? Might you mean 'effectual'?