Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Capable of being approached or come at; that may be reached, attained, or procured.
Wiktionary
- adj. easily accessible
WordNet 3.0
- adj. capable of being attained or accomplished
- adj. capable of being reached or attained
Examples
“After these came a second set; among the most come-at-able of whom were Mr.. and Miss Bates, and Mr.. Goddard, three ladies almost always at the service of an invitation from Hartfield, and who were fetched and carried home so often, that Mr. Woodhouse thought it no hardship for either James or the horses.”
“Poor girl! she was barely fifteen, and without this consent her little amount in the funds was not come-at-able until five immeasurable summers had "dragged their slow length along.”
“Hobson's choice, as water was not to be found anywhere else at a come-at-able distance.”
Forty-one years in India From Subaltern To Commander-In-Chief
“The next evening, two hampers, containing, as our purveyor assured us, "very prime 'uns," arrived at my rooms "from Mr S----, the wine merchant;" and, by daylight on the following morning, were judiciously distributed throughout all the come-at-able premises within the college walls.”
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 54, No. 338, December 1843
“But the old knight, look you, is not come-at-able.”
“It is come-at-able from Cork by train to Bantry and then coach, or by coach from Killarney or Kenmare.”
The Sunny Side of Ireland How to see it by the Great Southern and Western Railway
“The objection to it is obvious: you do not rely a thing; therefore the thing cannot be reliable; it should be rely-on-able (like come-at-able).”
“Some are fishing, others are pitching pennies, others, again, playing various apparently harmless games, but all with eyes for the main chance -- an opportunity to steal anything come-at-able.”
“The bulk of the passengers 'luggage had been shipped in dock, and passed down into the after-hold upon the top of the cargo, in order that it might be out of the way but easily come-at-able if required during the voyage; each one, however, as he or she came up the ship's side and stepped in on deck, bore in his or her hand one or more bundles of wraps, deck-chairs, and other _impedimenta_.”
“Accordingly, while Chips and Sails again undertook to climb the cliff and procure some bananas for breakfast, Cunningham and I, accompanied by the boatswain -- who seemed, after a good night's rest, to be little the worse for the happenings of the previous day -- agreed to wade off and board the wreck, with the view of securing such weapons and ammunition as were come-at-able, and had not been spoiled by sea water.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘come-at-able’.
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The Aubrey/Maturin List I'm Gonna Mak...
I'm wading through Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels one by one, and someday, I'll wade through them again and list all the words I learned while reading them.
Edit: I started ma...studdingsail, carronade, mumchance, grumlin-futtocks, crosscat-harpings, holystone, sennit, orlop, orchitis, negus, kevel, altumal and 1112 more...
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chained_bear "Shelmerston water was the best south of the Thames for going far foreign, but it was not easily come-at-able and in his absence the Surprises must have made many a weary voyage in the boats."
--Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque, 139 Feb 29, 2008