transmissibility
|trans-mis-si-bil-i-ty|
/trænzˌmɪsəˈbɪlɪti/
not able to be passed on
Etymology
'transmissibility' originates from Latin, specifically from the Late Latin 'transmissibilis' (from the verbal stem related to 'transmittere'), where 'trans-' meant 'across' and 'mittere' meant 'to send'.
'transmissibility' changed from Latin 'transmittere' ('to send across'), passed into Old French as 'transmettre' and into Middle English as 'transmit'; the adjective form 'transmissible' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ity' eventually produced modern English 'transmissibility'.
Initially, related forms meant 'the action of sending across' or 'the ability to send'; over time the sense shifted to the present meaning: 'the quality or degree of being able to be transmitted' (applied to diseases, signals, energy, etc.).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or state of being transmissible; the ability to be transmitted, passed on, or conveyed (e.g., signals, energy, traits).
The transmissibility of the signal was reduced after it passed through several layers of insulation.
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Noun 2
in epidemiology and public health, the degree to which a disease or pathogen can spread from one host to another (often discussed in relation to R0 or ease of spread).
Researchers are studying the transmissibility of the new strain to estimate how quickly it might spread in the population.
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Last updated: 2025/10/23 00:55