Unsteigerbar

Unsteigerbar is a German neologism used primarily in discussions of scaling, optimization, and system design to describe a quantity, property, or component that cannot be increased without violating a constraint or breaking system invariants. The word is built from un- (not), steigern (to increase), and -bar (able), echoing the structure of related terms such as skalierbar (scalable) and nicht steigbar (not increaseable).

In formal usage, unsteigerbar denotes a component that has no feasible positive increase. In optimization terms, if a variable x_i has become unsteigerbar within a given feasible set, there exists no ε > 0 such that x_i + ε is feasible (with all other variables adjusted according to the model). This typically occurs due to hard bounds, coupling constraints, or resource limits.

Examples: In a production planning model with a hard capacity limit u_i on product i, increasing x_i beyond u_i is infeasible, rendering x_i unsteigerbar in that context. In software architecture, a module may be unsteigerbar when backward-compatibility constraints or binary interfaces prevent higher capacity or throughput, regardless of upgrades.

Usage and interpretation: The term is informal and not standardized across disciplines. It serves to draw attention to elements that resist incremental improvement and may require redesign, reallocation, or policy change rather than simple scaling.

Related concepts: skalierbar (scalable), nicht skalierbar (not scalable), feasibility, constraints, capacity planning.

References: Occurs in niche discussions, primarily in German-language forums and design notes.