amiable: [14] Amiable and amicable are the two English descendants of that most familiar of Latin verbs, amo, amas, amat … ‘love’. It had two rather similar adjectives derived from it: amābilis ‘lovable’ and, via amīcus ‘friend’, amīcābilis ‘friendly’ (source of English amicable [15]). Amīcābilis became in French amiable, and this was borrowed into English as amiable, but its meaning was subsequently influenced by that of French aimable ‘likeable, lovable’, which came from Latin amābilis. => amicable
mid-14c., from Old French amiable, from Late Latin amicabilis "friendly," from amicus "friend," related to amare "to love" (see Amy). The form confused in Old French with amable "lovable," from Latin amare. Reborrowed later in proper Latin form as amicable.
