interpretability
|in-ter-pre-ta-bil-i-ty|
🇺🇸
/ɪnˌtɝprəˈbɪləti/
🇬🇧
/ɪnˌtɜːprəˈbɪlɪti/
(interpret)
explain meaning
Etymology
'interpretability' originates from Latin and Anglo-Norman roots: from the verb 'interpret' (from Latin 'interpretari') plus the suffix '-ability' (from Latin '-abilitas') forming a noun meaning 'the quality of being interpreted or understood.'
'interpret' comes from Latin 'interpretari' ('to explain, expound, translate'), passed into Old French as 'interpreter' and into Middle English as 'interpreten'/'interpret', after which English formed complex nouns with the suffix '-ability' (via Old French/Latin influence) to yield 'interpretability' in modern English.
Initially associated with the action 'to explain or translate,' the term evolved into a noun describing the capacity or quality of being explained or understood; in recent use it has extended to technical senses (for example, 'explainability' in machine learning).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or degree to which something can be interpreted or understood; the extent to which meaning can be derived from data, text, models, or other artifacts.
The interpretability of the report helped nontechnical stakeholders understand the findings.
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Noun 2
in machine learning and statistics, the extent to which a model's internal mechanics or outputs can be understood, explained, or related to human concepts (often contrasted with accuracy or complexity).
Researchers are developing methods to increase the interpretability of neural networks.
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Last updated: 2025/12/30 00:37