satiable

Everyday

1. (rare) Able to be satisfied or filled. tree →
2. (Just So Stories) In «The Elephant's Child», Kipling writes «'satiable curtiosity», meaning «insatiable curiosity» — a curiosity that can never be satisfied; the Elephant's Child keeps asking questions. tree →

In the lessons

In «The Elephant's Child», the young elephant is «full of 'satiable curtiosity» and asks everyone questions, like «What does the Crocodile have for dinner?»; he gets spanked for it, but in the end his long trunk (pulled long by the Crocodile) helps him. The story praises curiosity. The real word for never satisfied is insatiable; satiable alone is rare.

Examples

• The Elephant's Child was full of 'satiable curtiosity. tree →
• He asked the Kolokolo Bird about the Crocodile because of his 'satiable curtiosity. tree →
• Her curiosity was insatiable — she never stopped asking why. tree →
• A small appetite is easily satiable. tree →
• Kipling made up the word «curtiosity» on purpose. tree →
• Scientists need an insatiable curiosity. tree →

Note

Rare in normal English. Opposite in meaning: insatiable (never satisfied), the common word. «Satiate» means fill completely; «sate» is the short form. Kipling's «'satiable curtiosity» is playful spelling, not standard.