Målelig

Målelig is an adjective used in Danish and Norwegian to describe something that can be measured or quantified. It denotes that a property may be assigned a numerical value using a standard unit or scale. In scientific, statistical, and technical writing, a variable or outcome is considered målelig if its value can be observed and reported with a measurement instrument or procedure. The term emphasizes quantifiability and comparability across observations.

Etymology: Målelig is formed from måle, meaning to measure, and the adjectival suffix -lig. It is part of the same family of Scandinavian formations, with related terms in other languages such as Swedish mätbar.

Usage: Målelig often implies a degree of precision and reproducibility appropriate for quantitative analysis. It is commonly used in contrast to immeasurable or non-quantifiable properties, which may be described as umålelig or ikke målelig in Danish and Norwegian. In practice, non-målelige properties are studied qualitatively or operationalized to become målelige.

Examples: In Danish, Afstanden er målelig i meter. The temperature is målelig in kelvin. In Norwegian: Tiden er målelig i sekunder. See also: målebarhet, måling, kvantifisering, målemetode.