a. [f. TUNE sb. or v. + -ABLE: cf. comfortable.]
1. Tuneful, musical, melodious, harmonious, sweet-sounding. arch. a. Of music, musical instruments, the singing voice, etc.
c. 1500. Proverbs, in Antiq. Rep. (1809), IV. 407. In tunabill tewnys he hathe non experyment.
c. 1525. in Herrig, Archiv Neu. Spr. (1908), CXX. 423. The songe of hymn selff, yet nevyrtheles, Ys trew and tvnabyle, & syng yt as yr ys.
c. 1581. Lodge, Repl. Gosson’s Sch. Abuse (Shaks. Soc.), 20. The tunable voyces of men.
1598. Florio, Simphonia,… a tunable singing without iarring.
1658. R. Franck, North. Mem. (1821), 250. The birds … beat the ambient air with their tunable notes.
1700. J. Brome, Trav. Eng., etc., ii. (1707), 52. A Chapel … in which there is placed a tunable Organ.
1820. H. Matthews, Diary of Invalid (ed. 2), 34. Airs not at all tuneable to an English ear.
1890. W. Morris, in Eng. Illustr. Mag., July, 757. The noise though it was great was tuneable.
b. spec. Of a peal of bells: in first 2 quots., well-tuned, in tune.
1510–11. Rec. St. Mary at Hill, 274. To go and see wheþer Smythes bell wer Tewneabill or nat.
1581. in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., Var. Coll. (1907), IV. 91. Such of the sayd bells as be not tuneable at this present.
1631. Weever, Anc. Fun. Mon., 226. A tunable ring of fiue bels vpon the same.
1778. G. White, Selbourne, lxxx. The notes of a hunting horn, a tunable ring of bells.
1844. Paley, Church Restorers, 33. The Tower contained a tunable ring of eight new bells.
c. Of speech or the speaking voice, or other sounds.
1579. Fulke, Heskins’ Parl., 21. A well tunable sound of the waues reboundeth.
1589. Puttenham, Eng. Poesie, I. v. (Arb.), 26. Without any rime or tunable concord in th’end of their verses.
1661. H. D., Disc. Liturgies, 82. A tunable and distinct pronouncing of the words.
1709. Steele & Swift, Tatler, No. 70, ¶ 7. What a secret Force there is in the Accents of a tunable Voice!
1836. S. Rogers, From Euripides, 7. As tuneable as harp of many strings.
d. fig. Harmonious, concordant; pleasant-sounding (quot. 1639); well-strung (quot. 1691).
1561. Daus, trans. Bullinger on Apoc. (1573), 68 b. A continuall holdyng on and tunable agrement in praysing God.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, V. vii. (1840), 253. This counsel, harsh at first, grew tunable in the ears of the Hospitallers.
1691. Norris, Pract. Disc., 327. He that is blessed with the strongest and most tunable Constitution.
1854. Emerson, Lett. & Soc. Aims, Quot. & Orig., Wks. (Bohn), III. 214. It [the Bible] has been played upon by the devotion of thousands of years until every word and particle is … tunable.
† e. with to: In tune with, accordant to (lit. and fig.). Obs.
1584. Lodge, Hist. Forbonius & Prisc. (Shaks. Soc.), 85. Making his lute tunable to the straine of his voice.
1688. W. Bates, Harm. Div. Attrib., v. (ed. 3), 87. His Heart might be made tunable to the Hearts of the afflicted.
2. Capable of being tuned. rare–0.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), Tunable, that may be tuned, or put in Tune; agreeable to the Rules of Musick.
1828. in Webster. [Hence in later Dicts.]
