Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Profitable \Prof"it*a*ble\, a. [F. profitable.]
   Yielding or bringing profit or gain; gainful; lucrative;
   useful; helpful; advantageous; beneficial; as, a profitable
   trade; profitable business; a profitable study or profession.

         What was so profitable to the empire became fatal to
         the emperor.                             --Arbuthnot.
   -- {Prof"it*a*ble*ness}, n. -- {Prof"it*a*bly}, adv.

Source : WordNet®

profitable
     adj 1: yielding material gain or profit; "profitable speculation on
            the stock market" [ant: {unprofitable}]
     2: promoting benefit or gain; "a profitable meeting to resolve
        difficulties"
     3: providing profit; "a profitable conversation"
     4: productive of profit; "a profitable enterprise"; "a fruitful
        meeting" [syn: {fruitful}]