a. Also 5 corrigabill, 7 corrigeable. [a. F. corrigible (in OF. corrig(e)able), ad. L. *corrigibilis (cf. incorrigibilis), f. corrigĕre to CORRECT: see -BLE.]
1. Capable of being corrected; rectifiable.
1483. in Eng. Gilds, 337. Provided allway, that … ony of the said articlis … be reformabyll and corrigabill by the Mayre, Bailiffs, and the comen counsayle of the citee.
1669. W. Simpson, Hydrol. Chym., 244. Such I call Chymical Medicines … as are made by a skilful Artist, who by continued experience, knows how to correct things corrigible.
1806. Abernethy, Surg. Obs., ii. 52. The disorders of the digestive organs are more corrigible by medical remedies.
1852. Grote, Greece, II. lxxxi. X. 618. A vote which is understood to be final and never afterwards to be corrigible.
2. Of faults, weaknesses, etc.: Capable of being amended; capable of improvement or reformation.
1673. Lady’s Call., I. § 1. 14. The infirmity for the most part proves very corrigible.
1700. Astry, trans. Saavedra-Faxardo, I. 52. Both these Passions, as well that of Bashfulness, as Commiseration, are corrigible.
1820. Examiner, No. 614. 34/1. Despotism was a thing corrigible by experience.
1833. O’Connell, Corr. (1888), I. 332. The other abuses will be easily corrigible.
3. Of persons, their dispositions, etc.: Open or submissive to correction.
1583. Babington, Commandm., iii. Wks. (1637), 28. If hee be corrigible not euen in the Lords cause should I curse my brother.
1606. Shaks., Ant. & Cl., IV. xiv. 74. Bending downe His corrigible necke.
1662. Petty, Taxes, 48. Such … punishments have … made some corrigible offenders, to become desperate and incurable.
1776. Johnson, in Boswell (1887), III. 62. He has not dragged into light a bashful and corrigible sinner.
1864. G. A. Sala, in Daily Tel., 23 Nov., 5/4. They execrate him in secret, and curse him under their breath, but in public they are meek and corrigible.
† 4. Liable to or deserving chastisement or punishment. Obs.
1587. Fleming, Contn. Holinshed, III. 1347/2. If anie prince fell into anie such kind of error, that prince were corrigible, but of whome?
1640. Howell, Dodona’s Gr., 196. He was taken up very short, and adjudgd corrigible for such presumptuous language.
1649. Jer. Taylor, Gt. Exemp., I. v. § 1. Our inclinations averse and corrigible.
† 5. Having the faculty of correcting; corrective.
1601. B. Jonson, Poetaster, II. i. Do I not bear a reasonable corrigible hand over him, Crispinus?
1604. Shaks., Oth., I. iii. 329. The power, and Corrigeable authoritie of this lies in our Wills.
Hence Corrigibility, Corrigibleness, Corrigibly adv.
1765. Misc., in Ann. Reg., 213/1. The corrigibility of a bad soil.
1798. [C. B. Brown], in Weekly Mag., I. 17 March, 194/1. You must betake yourself to your fund of eloquence, and put his corrigibleness to a certain number of trials.
1846. De Quincey, Christianity as Org. Pol. Movem., Wks. XII. 264. Whatever was good or corrigibly bad, man saw associated with weakness.
