What does transmittable mean?
Transmittable means able to be transmitted: sent, passed along, or conveyed from one person or place to another. The word is especially useful for describing radio signals, electronic data, information, and infections that can be passed on. A signal may be described as transmittable when it is strong enough or technically suitable to travel over a particular distance, while a disease may be called transmittable when it can be passed from one person or organism to another. The adjective is related to the verb transmit and the nouns transmission and transmitter. Although it is used in general English, transmittable is more formal and technical than everyday alternatives such as sendable. It should not be confused with transmissible, which is particularly common in biological contexts but can also be used more broadly for anything capable of being passed on.
adjectiveAble to be transmitted or sent from one person, place, or system to another. It is especially used of information, signals, and infections that can be passed along.
- Capable of being transmitted or passed from one person, place, or system to another.
"The radio station received a weak but transmittable signal from the emergency team."
"The laboratory confirmed that the virus remained transmittable through contaminated surfaces."
"The device detects weak but transmittable radio signals in remote areas."
Transmittable comes from the same idea as transmit: literally, to send something across a distance.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does transmittable come from?
Transmittable was formed in English from transmit with the adjective-forming suffix -able. Transmit comes from Latin transmittere, meaning “to send across” or “to hand over,” which combines trans-, meaning “across,” with mittere, meaning “to send.” The same Latin foundation appears in transmission and transmitter, while cognate forms are found in other languages derived from Latin.
How transmittable is actually used
Transmittable is a formal or technical adjective, especially common in discussions of signals, data, disease, and infection. In scientific and public-health writing, transmissible is often more familiar and may emphasize transmission between organisms.
Easily confused with transmittable
Transmittable means capable of being sent or passed on, while transmissible is often used for characteristics or conditions that can be passed from one organism or system to another.