Iseloomustatav

Iseloomustatav is an Estonian adjective meaning describable or characterizable. It is formed from the verb iseloomustada, which means to describe or characterize, with the participial suffix -atav, giving the sense of something that can be described or characterized.

In use, iseloomustatav marks that a feature, phenomenon, or attribute can be described or defined in terms of its characteristics. It is common in academic writing across disciplines such as linguistics, psychology, philosophy, and the natural and social sciences, where researchers distinguish something iseloomustatav from more fixed or inherent properties.

Examples help illustrate the sense. Estonian phrases include iseloomustatavus, the noun form meaning the describability or descriptibility of something. For instance, "Nähtuse iseloomustatavus sõltub andmete kvaliteedist" translates to "The describability of the phenomenon depends on data quality." Another useful phrase is "iseloomustatav omadus," meaning a describable or characterizable property.

Relation to related terms: iseloomulik means characteristic or typical, often describing inherent traits, while kirjeldav or kirjeldatav refers more directly to descriptive or describable aspects in everyday usage. Iseloomustatav emphasizes the potential to characterize rather than the act of describing itself, and it is most often found in analytical or theoretical contexts.