adjustableadj.
/əˈdʒʌstəbl/, U.S. /əˈdʒəstəb(ə)l/ Capable of being adjusted (in various senses of the verb); esp. capable of being altered or modified.
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the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > [adjective] > able to be
accommodable1592
fittable1611
accommodative1622
adjustable1768
adjustivec1796
adaptable1800
adaptive1863
1768 J. Stonhouse Universal Restitution farther Defended viii. 130 The evils resulting from the permissive will of God, being..all adjustable in the purposed operation of his aionian kingdom [etc.].
1775 N. Maskelyne in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 65 500 Which wanted nothing to make it an excellent instrument but to have the plumb-line made adjustable.
1795 Sir W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 85 388 The plate on the west is fixed, but that on the east is adjustable.
1832 C. Babbage Econ. Machinery & Manuf. iii. 23 The opening of the valve..being adjustable at the will of the engine man.
1869 R. F. Burton Explor. Highlands Brazil II. 231 Two picks working in slot or cradle, with a slot-joint adjustable to the piston.
1900 Illustr. London News 25 Aug. 291/2 (advt.) Adjustable Bath Chair or Spinal Carriage.
1910 Bankers Mag. May 766/1 The interest on mortgages is adjustable.
1946 Sun (Baltimore) 7 Oct. 2/5 Sales of bronze and copper screen cloth were allowed on an adjustable prices basis.
2001 Pract. Householder Jan. 31/3 Table lamps, floor lamps, and adjustable anglepoise lights are good investments.
Compounds
adjustable pitch n. a pitch of a propeller or screw which can be adjusted when it is at rest; frequently attributive.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > propulsion machinery > [noun] > propeller > specific attributes of propellers
pitch1853
adjustable pitch1858
slip ratio1878
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > means of propulsion > [noun] > aircraft engine > propeller > pitch
pitch angle1902
adjustable pitch1909
pitch control1930
pitch1944
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > means of propulsion > [adjective] > types of propeller
feathering1909
reversible-pitch1919
adjustable pitch1934
coaxial1934
1858 Abridgements Specif. Marine Propulsion Index 322/1 Blades with adjustable pitch.
1909 Car 5 May 451/1 Look to your propeller which..has an adjustable pitch.
1934 Flight 15 Feb. 156/1 The airscrews are of the three-bladed adjustable-pitch type.
1961 M. G. Say Electr. Engineer's Ref. Bk. (ed. 10) ii. 61 A particular type of this propeller turbine is known as the Kaplan, and here the blades have an adjustable pitch enabling them to accommodate themselves to a wide range of operating conditions.
2009 V. Nelson Wind Energy vi. 116 The three methods of regulating output are passive stall, where the wind turbine operates at fixed rotational speed with fixed-pitch blades; active stall, where the wind turbine operates at fixed rotational speed with adjustable pitch; and variable pitch, where the wind turbine operates at variable rotation speed with adjustable pitch blades.
adjustable-rate adj. chiefly U.S. designating a mortgage or other loan having an interest rate which may be modified in response to economic conditions; of or relating to such a loan; = variable-rate adj. at variable adj. and n. Additions.
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1939 N.Y. Times 15 Apr. 30/5 The Greater New York Saving Bank of Brooklyn yesterday announced that it had put into effect a new ‘adjustable rate plan’ for preferred mortgage loans.
1975 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 31 Oct. 67/2 Society for Saving to offer adjustable rate mortgages.
1995 New Republic 20 Mar. 19/1 Swaps—deals in which a company that holds fixed-rate debt exchanges interest payments with another company, which owes money on an adjustable-rate loan.
adjustable spanner n. a spanner with a jaw which can be adjusted to grip bolts, nuts, etc., of different sizes; = monkey wrench n. 1.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > screwdrivers, wrenches, spanners > [noun] > spanner or wrench > adjustable
monkey wrench?1807
shifting spanner1829
screw hammer1831
adjustable wrench1852
adjustable spanner1866
Stillson1902
1866 Alphabet. Index of Patentees & Applic. for Patents of Invention 1865 217 A combined adjustable spanner, tube cutter and pipe wrench.
1914 H. M. Adam & J. H. Evans Metal-Work ii. xiii. 115 An adjustable spanner will also be found very useful.
1984 T. Pettit Metalwork Made Simple xvi. 181 Adjustable spanners..are sturdy tools, having the advantage of rapid adjustment with the thumb of the hand holding the wrench.
2000 P. Vincent Mountain Bike Maintenance 51/1 (caption) To get maximum leverage from an adjustable spanner, hold the tool at its end.
adjustable wrench n. North American = monkey wrench n. 1; cf. adjustable spanner n.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > screwdrivers, wrenches, spanners > [noun] > spanner or wrench > adjustable
monkey wrench?1807
shifting spanner1829
screw hammer1831
adjustable wrench1852
adjustable spanner1866
Stillson1902
1852 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. July 8 List of American Patents... For an Improved Adjustable Wrench.
1943 McKean County Democrat (Smethport, Pa.) 2 Sept. 2/6 Every farmer has a hammer and a saw, a couple of screwdrivers, a pair of pliers and an adjustable wrench in his tool shed.
2002 Amer. Woodworker June 65 Use a handscrew or an adjustable wrench to twist the stretcher into position, if needed.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.1768