Transferabilities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The qualities or attributes that allow something to be conveyed from one person or context to another
2. The capacity for traits or skills to be applicable in different situations or environments
3. The potential for characteristics or abilities to be transported or adapted across varying realms or uses

Etymology: "Transferabilities" is simply the plural of "transferability", the state of being able to be transferred. The noun is built from "transfer" plus the suffix "-ability", which turns an adjective-forming idea ("able to be done") into a noun of quality. The "-ability" ending itself came into English through Middle French from Latin "-abilitas", and it attaches readily to verbs, so "transferable" and its noun partner could be formed from the English verb "transfer" without any special prior history. "Transfer" carries the older history. It comes from Latin "transferre", made of "trans-" meaning "across" and "ferre" meaning "to carry", so the verb originally meant to carry something from one place to another. That literal sense of moving an object across a boundary is the root of the modern idea of moving a skill or quality into a new setting, which is exactly what this plural describes.