plausible

adj

Etymology: From Latin plausibilis (“deserving applause, praiseworthy, acceptable, pleasing”), from the participle stem of plaudere (“to applaud”).

1. Seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; conceivably true or likely.

   “a plausible excuse”

   “In short, the twin assumptions that syntactic rules are category-based, and that there are a highly restricted finite set of categories in any natural language (perhaps no more than a dozen major categories), together with the assumption that the child either knows (innately) or learns (by experience) that all rules are structure-dependent ( =category-based), provide a highly plausible model of language acquisition, in which languages become learnable in a relatively short, finite period of time (a few years).”

2. Obtaining approbation; specifically pleasing; apparently right; specious.

   “a plausible pretext; plausible manners; a plausible delusion”

3. Worthy of being applauded; praiseworthy; commendable; ready.

   “capable of receiving a plauſible Anſwer”

   “[…] a coachman named Richard, who was described as a "sensible, well-behaved yellow boy, who is plausible and can read and write."”