Detectables

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Identifying substances or elements that can be observed or measured in a given context
2. Referring to items or characteristics that can be recognized through scientific or technical means
3. Describing materials or factors that are capable of being discovered in methods of analysis or investigation

Etymology: "Detectable" is formed from the verb "detect" plus the suffix "-able," which means "capable of being." "Detect" comes from Latin "detegere," meaning "to uncover" or "to remove the covering from," built from "de-" (away, reversing) and "tegere" (to cover). The original sense is literal: to take the roof or cover off something so what lies beneath becomes visible. English borrowed "detect" in the early 1600s with this sense of uncovering, and it narrowed over time to finding something hidden, especially a crime or a faint signal. The adjective "detectable" is a later formation, first recorded in the mid-1800s, when English speakers were freely attaching "-able" to existing verbs. Its noun use, as in a detectable (a thing that can be detected), is a further step from the adjective and is less common.

Synonyms: discernibles, observable

Antonyms: undetectables, invisible