scalable

English

Etymology

From scale +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskeɪ.lə.bl̩/, [ˈskeɪ̯.ɫə.bl̩]

Adjective

scalable (comparative more scalable, superlative most scalable)

1. Capable of being climbed. [from 16th c.]

   Antonym: unscalable

2. Able to be changed in scale; resizeable. [from 20th c.]

   Antonym: unscalable

   • 2011, David Runciman, “Socialism in One Country”, in London Review of Books, XXXIII.15:

     To use one of the ugliest words in the contemporary lexicon, Glasman and his colleagues believe that micro-democracy is scalable: get it right at the local level, and the rest will follow.

3. (computing, logistics, business) Able to greatly increase in capacity, with relative ease. [from 1980s]

   Antonyms: ungrowable, unscalable

   • 2002, Craig Hunt, TCP/IP Network Administration 3rd ed, page 82:

     Most systems have a small host table, but it cannot be used for all applications because it is not scalable and does not have a standard method for automatic distribution.

4. (manufacturing, of an engineering drawing or its features) Suitable to provide accurate dimensions to manufacturing staff by being measured and having the measurements multiplied by the scale factor.

Related terms

• scalability (noun)
• scale down (verb)
• scale up (verb)

Translations

capable of being climbed

• Dutch: klimbaar, beklimbaar (nl), bestijgbaar
• German: skalierbar
• Macedonian: искачлив (iskačliv)
• Spanish: escalable
• Swedish: bestigbar

able to be changed in scale; resizeable

• Catalan: escalable
• Dutch: schaalbaar, opschaalbaar
• Estonian: skaleeritav
• French: extensible (fr), évolutif (fr)
• Greek: επεκτάσιμος (el) (epektásimos)
• Macedonian: размерлив (razmerliv)
• Russian: масштаби́руемый (ru) (masštabírujemyj) (able to be changed in scale), расширя́емый (ru) (rasširjájemyj)
• Spanish: escalable
• Swedish: skalbar (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} mõõtmestatav
• Macedonian: ^{(please verify)} размерлив m (razmerliv)

See also

• expandable
• shrinkable

References

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “scalable”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “scalable”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• scalable on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• basecall, scabella