Transmisibile

Transmisibile is an adjective meaning capable of being transmitted or spread from one entity to another. It is used across disciplines to describe processes, phenomena, or properties that can be passed along through contact, communication, or other channels. In Romance languages the term appears in slightly different forms, such as transmisible in Spanish and trasmissibile in Italian.

In epidemiology, transmissibility is a central concept describing how readily a pathogen spreads within a population. It is influenced by the mode of transmission (direct contact, droplets, airborne, vector-borne), contact patterns, host susceptibility, and environmental conditions. A high transmissibility can fuel outbreaks and shapes public health responses such as vaccination campaigns, isolation, masking, ventilation improvements, and contact tracing.

In biology and genetics, transmissibility can refer to the passing of genes, traits, or symbionts from parent to offspring or between organisms, through vertical or horizontal transmission. In information and technology, something transmissible can be conveyed over a channel or network, such as signals or data, though other terms like transmission or communicability are also used.

Etymology and usage: derived from Latin transmittĕre (to send across). In English, both transmissible and transmittable are used; generally, transmissible is preferred in medical and scientific contexts, while transmittable appears in broader or less technical usage.

See also: Transmission, Infectiousness, Contagiousness, Transmissibility.