Nonreferable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Impossible to be referred to, cited or consulted as a source, authority or point of reference
2. Not capable of being named, mentioned or pointed to as a source or authority for something
3. Describing something that cannot be cited, mentioned or relied upon as a reference or authority

Etymology: "Nonreferable" is a plain formation from English parts, not a borrowing: the prefix "non-", meaning "not", attached to "referable", which in turn is "refer" with the suffix "-able", meaning "capable of being". So the word means "not capable of being referred," and the logic runs straight through its parts. "Refer" itself comes from Latin "referre", "to carry back," built from "re-" ("back") and "ferre" ("to carry"), which is also the source of "transfer" and "conference." The idea of carrying something back to a source or authority survives in the modern sense, where a thing is referable if it can be taken to, or sent on to, another authority or person for a decision. The negative form appears mainly in technical and legal contexts, where it describes a matter that cannot be sent on to a higher body or a specialist for review. Dictionaries record it from the nineteenth century, though the exact first use is uncertain.

Antonyms: referable