reliableadj.n.

Brit.

/rᵻˈlʌɪəbl/, U.S.

/rəˈlaɪəb(ə)l/,

/riˈlaɪəb(ə)l/

Forms: 1600s– reliable, 1700s–1800s relyable; also Scottish pre-1700 raliabill.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: rely v.¹, -able suffix.

Etymology: < rely v.¹ + -able suffix.Use of the word was heavily criticized in the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly on the grounds that it represented a supposedly irregular formation (although a number of similar formations were already in existence; compare for example available adj., dependable adj., dispensable adj., laughable adj.). For a full contemporary discussion see F. Hall On English Adjectives in -able, with special reference to Reliable (1877), and see also the following:1996 R. W. Burchfield New Fowler's Mod. Eng. Usage (ed. 3) 665 Earlier objection to the word was based on the belief that reliable ought to mean ‘able to rely’ rather than ‘able to be relied on’. As Alford (1864) expressed it: ‘Reliable is hardly legitimate. We do not rely a man, we rely upon a man; so that reliable does duty for rely-upon-able. “Trustworthy” does all the work required.’

A. adj.

1. That may be relied on.

a. Of a person, information, etc.: able to be trusted; in which reliance or confidence may be placed; trustworthy, safe, sure.rare between the 17th and 19th centuries (see the etymology).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > [adjective] > trusted

well-provedc1325

trustedc1426

betrusteda1466

reliable1569

fiducial1624

well-proven1639

society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > faithfulness or trustworthiness > [adjective]

soothfastc825

truefastOE

i-treowec1000

unfakenOE

trueOE

sickerc1100

trigc1175

strustya1250

steel to the (very) backa1300

true as steela1300

certainc1325

well-provedc1325

surec1330

traistc1330

tristc1330

trustya1350

faithfula1382

veryc1385

sada1387

discreet1387

trust1389

trothfulc1390

tristya1400

proveda1425

good-heartedc1425

well-trusted?a1439

tristfulc1440

authorizablea1475

faithworthy?1526

tentik1534

fidele1539

truthfulc1550

suresby1553

responsible1558

trestc1560

reliable1569

cocksurea1575

sound1581

trustful1582

truepenny1589

true (also good, sure) as touch1590

probable1596

confident1605

trustable1606

axiopistical1611

loyala1616

reposeful1627

confiding1645

fiducial1647

laudable1664

safe1667

accountable1683

serious1693

sponsible1721

dependable1730

unfailing1798

truthya1802

trustworthy1829

all right1841

stand-up1841

falsehood-free1850

right1856

proven1872

bankable1891

secure1954

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > reliability > [adjective]

sickerc1100

very1303

certainc1325

trustyc1390

soothfasta1400

surea1400

unfailingc1400

unfailablea1525

unfallible1529

infailable1561

reliable1569

cocksurea1575

faithful1611

infalliblea1616

well-proven1639

unfallida1641

indefailable1693

securea1729

pukka1776

1569 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1877) 1st Ser. I. 667 Thair deliverance..and jugement to be als raliabill..as gif the samyn wer gevin..be the Lordis of Sessioun.

1624 R. Montagu in J. Cosin Corr. 20 Dec. (1869) I. xxii. 34 I knowe not two honester, abler men, and reliable indeed of their ranke and state.

1709 in H. Atton & H. H. Holland King's Customs (1908) vi. 171 [The Board having received] relyable information [that the Montrose officers did not enforce the maritime regulations and duties].

1800 S. T. Coleridge in Morning Post & Gazetteer 18th Feb. 2/2 [Reporting speech by William Pitt the Younger] The best means and most reliable pledges of an higher object.

1850 W. Irving in Life & Lett. (1864) IV. 70 You have laid the foundations of your work so deep that nothing can shake it. You have built it up with a care that renders it reliable in all its parts.

1857 Gladstone in Oxf. Ess. 49 He seems to think that the reliable chronology of Greece begins before its reliable history.

1876 G. O. Trevelyan Life & Lett. Macaulay (1883) II. 431 Macaulay may not have been a reliable guide in the regions of high art.

1900 G. Patten Rockspur Nine xxv. 211 In his heart, Sterndale knew Rockspur was weak in the box, for Bentley was not a reliable pitcher.

1950 Times 4 Feb. 5/5 In the past they have given a fairly reliable indication of what would happen in the parliamentary contests.

1966 F. Nwapa Efuru iv. 69 Her mother and father are not well known and I hear from a reliable source that her father died of the ‘small cough’.

2005 TNT Mag. 7 Mar. 228/1 (advt.) Driver sought..by busy bakery... Must be reliable..with a good knowledge of London.

b. Originally U.S. Of a product, service, etc.: consistently good in quality or performance; dependable.Frequently in commercial use.

ΚΠ

1792 B. S. Barton Let. 22 Sept. in W. P. Cutler & J. P. Cutler Life, Jrnls. & Corr. M. Cutler (1888) II. 288 I have lately used the root, and find it a very reliable medicine.

1859 Knickerbocker Aug. (end matter) (advt.) Singer's Sewing Machines..are better, more durable, more reliable, capable of doing a much greater variety of work.

1877 Catal. & Price Lists Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Co. 49 This caliper will be found a reliable and convenient substitute for the vernier caliper.

1929 Footwear Organiser July 81/2 (advt.) For unvarying high quality and thoroughly reliable service use Walker prepared toe-puffs.

1951 E. David French Country Cooking 222 Liver pâté. The French Amieux brands are always reliable.

1995 Guardian 20 May (Weekend Suppl.) 75/4 Normally Morris Minors are the most reliable cars on the road.

2. Statistics. Originally: accurate; free from error. In later use: (of a method or technique of measurement) that yields consistent results when repeated under identical conditions.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [adjective] > yielding correct or concordant results

reliable1875

robust1955

1875 Q. Jrnl. Royal Meteorol. Soc. 2 188 There ought to be some more definite and independent method of obtaining exact and strictly reliable (not approximate) temperature.

1892 Analyst 17 228 When the Babcock test is made according to the instruction given with the machine, strictly reliable results are obtained.

1942 J. P. Guilford Fundamental Statistics in Psychol. & Educ. xiv. 273 By a perfectly reliable test, we mean one that is free from errors of measurement.

1970 D. W. Matheson et al. Introd. Exper. Psychol. ii. 26 A sampling technique is reliable if several samples from the same population yield similar data.

1985 GCSE National Criteria: Gen. Criteria (Dept. Education & Sci.) 24 A component is completely reliable if it would yield the same results when repeated by the same candidates under the same conditions.

2007 F. J. Gravetter & L. B. Wallnau Statistics Behavioral Sci. (ed. 7) xvi. 510 A measurement procedure is considered reliable to the extent that it produces stable, consistent measurements.

B. n.

Originally U.S. Usually in plural, and frequently modified by old. A reliable person, animal, or thing.Sometimes as a nickname.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > change > absence of change, changelessness > stability, fixity > [noun] > something stable

rock1526

fixture1788

stability1833

reliablec1863

anchorman1895

society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > faithfulness or trustworthiness > [noun] > person or thing

suresbya1556

old faithful1648

reliablec1863

c1863 Michigan State Gazetteer & Business Directory 1863–4 (end matter) (advt.) The Michigan Southern [railway line]..the Old Reliable.

1885 Sessional Papers Province Ont. XVII. No. 13. 203 Red top [grass]... One of our reliables, and already well-known to many.

1890 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 133 Experiment with all the new things that appear, but do not ‘lose your grip’ on the old reliables.

1911 R. D. Saunders Col. Todhunter xii. 171 ‘You never can tell about these old reliables,’ said Tom. ‘Solomon might take it into his head to get frisky any minute.’

1950 Western Folklore Apr. 138 The cowboy's six-shooter speaks a language universally understood. Familiar epithets for the revolver were equalizer, shootin' iron,..Old Reliable.

1970 E. Snow Other Side of River (1976) 33 The ‘three-way alliance’ of mass organizations, Party ‘reliables’, and army political work teams which had completed the Party purging.

2001 N.Y. Times 21 June f11/3 Designers and floor-covering manufacturers are finding new ways to use old reliables like vinyl, canvas and cork.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	reliable
释义	reliableadj.n. Brit. /rᵻˈlʌɪəbl/, U.S. /rəˈlaɪəb(ə)l/, /riˈlaɪəb(ə)l/ Forms: 1600s– reliable, 1700s–1800s relyable; also Scottish pre-1700 raliabill. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: rely v.¹, -able suffix. Etymology: < rely v.¹ + -able suffix.Use of the word was heavily criticized in the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly on the grounds that it represented a supposedly irregular formation (although a number of similar formations were already in existence; compare for example available adj., dependable adj., dispensable adj., laughable adj.). For a full contemporary discussion see F. Hall On English Adjectives in -able, with special reference to Reliable (1877), and see also the following:1996 R. W. Burchfield New Fowler's Mod. Eng. Usage (ed. 3) 665 Earlier objection to the word was based on the belief that reliable ought to mean ‘able to rely’ rather than ‘able to be relied on’. As Alford (1864) expressed it: ‘Reliable is hardly legitimate. We do not rely a man, we rely upon a man; so that reliable does duty for rely-upon-able. “Trustworthy” does all the work required.’ A. adj. 1. That may be relied on. a. Of a person, information, etc.: able to be trusted; in which reliance or confidence may be placed; trustworthy, safe, sure.rare between the 17th and 19th centuries (see the etymology). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > [adjective] > trusted well-provedc1325 trustedc1426 betrusteda1466 reliable1569 fiducial1624 well-proven1639 society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > faithfulness or trustworthiness > [adjective] soothfastc825 truefastOE i-treowec1000 unfakenOE trueOE sickerc1100 trigc1175 strustya1250 steel to the (very) backa1300 true as steela1300 certainc1325 well-provedc1325 surec1330 traistc1330 tristc1330 trustya1350 faithfula1382 veryc1385 sada1387 discreet1387 trust1389 trothfulc1390 tristya1400 proveda1425 good-heartedc1425 well-trusted?a1439 tristfulc1440 authorizablea1475 faithworthy?1526 tentik1534 fidele1539 truthfulc1550 suresby1553 responsible1558 trestc1560 reliable1569 cocksurea1575 sound1581 trustful1582 truepenny1589 true (also good, sure) as touch1590 probable1596 confident1605 trustable1606 axiopistical1611 loyala1616 reposeful1627 confiding1645 fiducial1647 laudable1664 safe1667 accountable1683 serious1693 sponsible1721 dependable1730 unfailing1798 truthya1802 trustworthy1829 all right1841 stand-up1841 falsehood-free1850 right1856 proven1872 bankable1891 secure1954 the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > reliability > [adjective] sickerc1100 very1303 certainc1325 trustyc1390 soothfasta1400 surea1400 unfailingc1400 unfailablea1525 unfallible1529 infailable1561 reliable1569 cocksurea1575 faithful1611 infalliblea1616 well-proven1639 unfallida1641 indefailable1693 securea1729 pukka1776 1569 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1877) 1st Ser. I. 667 Thair deliverance..and jugement to be als raliabill..as gif the samyn wer gevin..be the Lordis of Sessioun. 1624 R. Montagu in J. Cosin Corr. 20 Dec. (1869) I. xxii. 34 I knowe not two honester, abler men, and reliable indeed of their ranke and state. 1709 in H. Atton & H. H. Holland King's Customs (1908) vi. 171 [The Board having received] relyable information [that the Montrose officers did not enforce the maritime regulations and duties]. 1800 S. T. Coleridge in Morning Post & Gazetteer 18th Feb. 2/2 [Reporting speech by William Pitt the Younger] The best means and most reliable pledges of an higher object. 1850 W. Irving in Life & Lett. (1864) IV. 70 You have laid the foundations of your work so deep that nothing can shake it. You have built it up with a care that renders it reliable in all its parts. 1857 Gladstone in Oxf. Ess. 49 He seems to think that the reliable chronology of Greece begins before its reliable history. 1876 G. O. Trevelyan Life & Lett. Macaulay (1883) II. 431 Macaulay may not have been a reliable guide in the regions of high art. 1900 G. Patten Rockspur Nine xxv. 211 In his heart, Sterndale knew Rockspur was weak in the box, for Bentley was not a reliable pitcher. 1950 Times 4 Feb. 5/5 In the past they have given a fairly reliable indication of what would happen in the parliamentary contests. 1966 F. Nwapa Efuru iv. 69 Her mother and father are not well known and I hear from a reliable source that her father died of the ‘small cough’. 2005 TNT Mag. 7 Mar. 228/1 (advt.) Driver sought..by busy bakery... Must be reliable..with a good knowledge of London. b. Originally U.S. Of a product, service, etc.: consistently good in quality or performance; dependable.Frequently in commercial use. ΚΠ 1792 B. S. Barton Let. 22 Sept. in W. P. Cutler & J. P. Cutler Life, Jrnls. & Corr. M. Cutler (1888) II. 288 I have lately used the root, and find it a very reliable medicine. 1859 Knickerbocker Aug. (end matter) (advt.) Singer's Sewing Machines..are better, more durable, more reliable, capable of doing a much greater variety of work. 1877 Catal. & Price Lists Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Co. 49 This caliper will be found a reliable and convenient substitute for the vernier caliper. 1929 Footwear Organiser July 81/2 (advt.) For unvarying high quality and thoroughly reliable service use Walker prepared toe-puffs. 1951 E. David French Country Cooking 222 Liver pâté. The French Amieux brands are always reliable. 1995 Guardian 20 May (Weekend Suppl.) 75/4 Normally Morris Minors are the most reliable cars on the road. 2. Statistics. Originally: accurate; free from error. In later use: (of a method or technique of measurement) that yields consistent results when repeated under identical conditions. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [adjective] > yielding correct or concordant results reliable1875 robust1955 1875 Q. Jrnl. Royal Meteorol. Soc. 2 188 There ought to be some more definite and independent method of obtaining exact and strictly reliable (not approximate) temperature. 1892 Analyst 17 228 When the Babcock test is made according to the instruction given with the machine, strictly reliable results are obtained. 1942 J. P. Guilford Fundamental Statistics in Psychol. & Educ. xiv. 273 By a perfectly reliable test, we mean one that is free from errors of measurement. 1970 D. W. Matheson et al. Introd. Exper. Psychol. ii. 26 A sampling technique is reliable if several samples from the same population yield similar data. 1985 GCSE National Criteria: Gen. Criteria (Dept. Education & Sci.) 24 A component is completely reliable if it would yield the same results when repeated by the same candidates under the same conditions. 2007 F. J. Gravetter & L. B. Wallnau Statistics Behavioral Sci. (ed. 7) xvi. 510 A measurement procedure is considered reliable to the extent that it produces stable, consistent measurements. B. n. Originally U.S. Usually in plural, and frequently modified by old. A reliable person, animal, or thing.Sometimes as a nickname. ΘΚΠ the world > time > change > absence of change, changelessness > stability, fixity > [noun] > something stable rock1526 fixture1788 stability1833 reliablec1863 anchorman1895 society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > faithfulness or trustworthiness > [noun] > person or thing suresbya1556 old faithful1648 reliablec1863 c1863 Michigan State Gazetteer & Business Directory 1863–4 (end matter) (advt.) The Michigan Southern [railway line]..the Old Reliable. 1885 Sessional Papers Province Ont. XVII. No. 13. 203 Red top [grass]... One of our reliables, and already well-known to many. 1890 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 133 Experiment with all the new things that appear, but do not ‘lose your grip’ on the old reliables. 1911 R. D. Saunders Col. Todhunter xii. 171 ‘You never can tell about these old reliables,’ said Tom. ‘Solomon might take it into his head to get frisky any minute.’ 1950 Western Folklore Apr. 138 The cowboy's six-shooter speaks a language universally understood. Familiar epithets for the revolver were equalizer, shootin' iron,..Old Reliable. 1970 E. Snow Other Side of River (1976) 33 The ‘three-way alliance’ of mass organizations, Party ‘reliables’, and army political work teams which had completed the Party purging. 2001 N.Y. Times 21 June f11/3 Designers and floor-covering manufacturers are finding new ways to use old reliables like vinyl, canvas and cork. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.1569
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