non-amplifiable
|non-am-pli-fi-a-ble|
🇺🇸
/nɑn.æmˈplɪfɪəbl/
🇬🇧
/nɒn.æmˈplɪfɪəbl/
(amplifiable)
not able to be amplified
Etymology
'non-amplifiable' originates from Modern English, formed by the negative prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not') attached to 'amplifiable', which itself is 'amplify' + the adjectival suffix '-able'.
'amplify' originates from Latin 'amplificare' (from 'amplus' meaning 'large' + 'facere' meaning 'to make'). The Latin 'amplificare' passed into Old French as forms like 'amplifier' and then into Middle English, becoming modern English 'amplify'; the productive suffix '-able' and the prefix 'non-' were later added in Modern English to form 'amplifiable' and then 'non-amplifiable'.
Initially related to making something larger or fuller ('to make large'), its usage broadened to increasing strength, intensity, or volume (e.g., signals, sounds, or data), and the compound now specifically conveys the inability to undergo such increase.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not able to be amplified; incapable of being increased in strength, power, or volume (often used for electronic or audio signals).
The vintage microphone's output was essentially non-amplifiable without severe distortion.
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Adjective 2
in molecular biology or chemistry, not susceptible to amplification by standard laboratory methods (e.g., a DNA sample that cannot be amplified by PCR).
The degraded DNA extracted from the sample was non-amplifiable by conventional PCR techniques.
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Last updated: 2025/08/13 20:40