Actionable

[Lauren]

> From: Nancy Allison

> When did this word go from meaning "subject to or affording 
> ground for an
> action or suit at law" to "something that can be acted on"?

Recently, I guess, but before October 10, 2007,
http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2007/10/10/5386979.aspx.

> My 1981 Webster's Collegiate Dictionary provides only the 
> first definition.

The term seems newer than 1981 and is (apparently) a part of
management-speak.  At least according to the blog above. 

There are a lot of terms that belong to certain disciplines that are not a
part of regular language, so I guess it could be true of this term, although
http://www.businessdictionary.com/ doesn't list the second usage,
Answers.com does, http://www.answers.com/topic/actionable?cat=biz-fin.

It looks like the word is a popular buzzword in business according to book
search results from Amazon,
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/104-3408642-4499150?url=search-alias%3Ds
tripbooks&field-keywords=actionable&x=0&y=0

(http://tinyurl.com/68g36p)

Lauren