Distributable is from distribute + -able; distribute from Latin distributus, past participle of distribuere ('to divide, deal out'), from dis- ('apart') + tribuere ('to assign, allot, grant'). The ancestry passes through Latin distribuere and Latin tribuere. The prefix dis- often marks separation, reversal, or negation in Latin and English formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure; the suffix -able forms an adjective of capability or suitability, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as an adjective, it means "able to be shared out or apportioned among recipients", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include distribute, distribution, distributor, and distributee.