What does filtrable mean?
Filtrable is a technical adjective describing something that can be filtered — that is, passed through a filter or porous medium so that unwanted material is held back while the substance of interest passes through. It appears chiefly in scientific writing, from chemistry laboratories separating solids from liquids to water-treatment discussions of what can be removed by filtration. The word also carries a notable historical meaning: in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century microbiology, "filtrable viruses" (agents small enough to pass through porcelain filters that trapped all known bacteria) were how scientists first demonstrated that diseases could be caused by organisms too small to see. Today the spelling "filterable" is far more common, and "filtrable" survives mainly in older literature, giving it a slightly dated, scholarly flavor. For anyone reading historical scientific texts, however, it remains an essential term to recognize.
adjectiveAble to be filtered; capable of passing through or being separated by means of a filter.
- Capable of being filtered or passed through a filter.
- (Historical microbiology, now dated) Describing infectious agents, especially viruses, small enough to pass through filters that retain bacteria.
"The filtrable residue was collected and analyzed for dissolved minerals."
"Only the filtrable portion of the suspension was used in the assay."
"Early virologists worked with filtrable agents long before any virus had been seen."
Before electron microscopes existed, scientists proved viruses existed purely because they were filtrable — small enough to slip through filters that stopped every known bacterium.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of filtrable
Filtrable derives from the verb "filter," which entered English in the late Middle Ages from Old French "filtre," itself from Medieval Latin "filtrum," meaning felt (a material originally used as a filtering cloth), likely of Germanic origin. The suffix "-able" was added to form the adjective, on the Latin model of words like "filtrabilis." Its cognates include "filtration," "filtrate," and "infiltrate," all built on the same root. The adjective became especially prominent in scientific vocabulary during the nineteenth century with the rise of bacteriology.
Related word forms
How filtrable is actually used
The spelling "filterable" is considerably more common in modern usage; "filtrable" persists mainly in older scientific literature, particularly early microbiology texts referring to filtrable viruses. The term is technical in register and rarely encountered outside laboratory or historical scientific contexts.
Easily confused with filtrable
"Filterable" is the far more common form of the same adjective; "filtrable" is an accepted but less frequent spelling variant, not a different word.