übertragbares

Übertragbares is the inflected form of the German adjective übertragbar, used to indicate that something can be transferred, transmitted, or carried from one context to another. It is typically found before a neuter noun in singular form, or in other contexts where the noun is understood. The term is not usually used as a stand-alone noun; instead it appears as part of noun phrases such as ein übertragbares Konzept or das übertragbare Risiko.

Etymology and sense

The word combines the prefix über- (over, across) with tragbar (capable of being carried). As an adjective, übertragbar conveys the sense of transferability or transmissibility, depending on the domain. In everyday language it can describe objects or ideas that can be moved or shared; in health and science it more often denotes transmissibility.

Common senses and examples

- Transferable or portable: ein übertragbares Konzept (a concept that can be transferred to another context); ein übertragbares Modell (a transferable model).

- Transmissible or contagious: übertragbare Krankheiten (transmissible diseases); information that can be spread or shared in a system may be described as übertragbar in a broad sense.

Grammar and usage notes

- With a definite article: das übertragbare Risiko (neuter singular).

- With an indefinite article: ein übertragbares Konzept (neuter singular).

- Plural: die übertragbaren Risiken.

- Nominalization: Das Übertragbare (capitalized as a noun) is possible but less common and context-dependent.

See also

Related terms include übertragbarkeit (transmissibility or transferability), Übertragung (transmission), and übertragbare Krankheiten (transmissible diseases). In English, equivalents vary by context and include transferable, transmissible, or portable.