Profitable means making more money than it costs. A profitable business, profitable in year three, highly profitable.
It is the plain financial test, and profitable and successful are not the same: a business can grow fast and lose money for years. The figurative sense means worthwhile: a profitable afternoon, a profitable discussion — where no money is involved at all. Note profit, both noun and verb; profitability; and non-profit, which describes an organisation that reinvests any surplus rather than one that fails to make any.
1adjectiveprofitableMaking more money than it costs.
“The business was profitable in about year four.”
2adjectiveworthwhileWorthwhile.
“It was a profitable afternoon and nobody spent anything.”
profitable is a quality of gain.
Old French profitable comes from profit, from Latin profectus, progress — from proficere, to advance. Profit was progress before it was money, and the figurative English sense is the older one.
Old French
profitable
English, today
profitable
From Old French profitable, equivalent to profit + -able.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA