permissible, a.
(pəˈmɪsɪb(ə)l)
[a. OF. permissible (15th c. in Godef.) = It. permissibile, prob. ad. med.L. permissibilis, f. permiss-, ppl. stem of permittĕre to permit.]
That can or ought to be permitted; allowable; permissible dose (see quot. 1954).
| 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 10840 Yt ys at alle tymes Permyssyble to pylgrymes To bern A skryppe & ek a staff. 1656 Blount Glossogr., Permissible, which may be permitted or suffered. 1755 in Johnson. 1832 Austin Jurispr. (1879) I. xii. 365 Sanction is not of the essence of permissible law. 1848 Mill Pol. Econ. I. 88 They may think such conduct permissible. 1874 Green Short Hist. viii. §i. 455 A course of doctrine and discipline, from which no variation was legally permissible. 1954 Brit. Jrnl. Radiol. XXVII. 245/2 Permissible dose is defined as that dose of ionizing radiation that, in the light of present knowledge, is not expected to cause appreciable bodily injury to a person at any time during his lifetime. 1960 Lebende Sprachen V. 163/2 The pilots who fly the modern airplane are subjected to a rather heavy dose (very close to the permissible dose) from the self-illuminating control-instruments. |
Hence permissiˈbility, perˈmissibleness, the quality of being permissible, allowableness; perˈmissibly adv., in a permissible way, as may be permitted, allowably.
| 1727 Bailey vol. II, Permissibleness. 1846 Worcester cites Dr. Allen for Permissibly. 1882 Ogilvie cites Eclec. Rev. for Permissibility. 1882–3 Schaff's Encycl. Relig. Knowl. I. 35 The ages of permissibility. 1892 Times 3 Aug. 7/3 If his rendering of the word was not quite what is understood by it.., it was permissibly near. |