Scannable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being quickly examined or read, especially by a machine using optical or electronic methods; easily scanned for information or data; suitable for rapid visual inspection
2. Describing something that can be processed by scanning devices or easily reviewed by a person; allowing straightforward extraction of relevant details; designed for efficient analysis and identification
3. Able to be systematically checked by scanning tools or rapidly comprehended by the eye; facilitating quick detection or reading; adapted to support swift information retrieval and interpretation

Etymology: "Scannable" is a plain formation: the verb "scan" with the suffix "-able," meaning "capable of being scanned." The verb itself has a longer road behind it. It descends from Latin "scandere," "to climb," which came to mean "to scan verse" by measuring its metrical feet, and passed through Middle English "scannen" before being used for close examination of any kind. The suffix has its own journey. "-able" descends from Latin "-abilis" through Old French, and English took it in as a productive ending that could be attached to almost any verb, which is why new coinages like "scannable" need no special explanation to be understood. The electronic sense of "scan," meaning to pass a document or image through a device to make a digital copy, is a far more recent extension of the old verb, so "scannable" belongs to the age of office machinery rather than to the older literary history of its root.

Synonyms: readable, detectable, legible

Antonyms: unreadable, illegible