Nontransmissible

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Referring to medical conditions that individuals cannot pass on to others
2. Pertaining to illnesses that lack the capacity for transmission among people
3. Describes a disease or condition that cannot be transferred between individuals

Etymology: "Nontransmissible" is a plain formation: the prefix "non-" attached to "transmissible," meaning "not passed on." The "non-" prefix comes from Latin "non," meaning "not," and was used in English to build negative forms of existing words, so the word needs no special story to explain it. "Transmissible" is the more interesting half. It comes from the Latin verb "transmittere," literally "to send across," built from "trans-" ("across") and "mittere" ("to send"). The same root gives English "transmit," "mission," and "message," so "transmissible" is a close relative of words that describe sending something from one place or person to another. Its sense of being capable of being passed along is what "nontransmissible" reverses. Because the word is a straightforward compound, its meaning follows directly from its parts: something that cannot be passed from one person to another, most often used of diseases or traits.

Synonyms: non-infectious, non-contagious