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referable

referable

7.1
Able to be linked to a cause or origin
  • adjective
  • /ˈrɛfərəbəl/
translation icon : atribuible
  • Acute infections usually include fever and symptoms referable to the site of infection.

Examples

  • Her anxiety seems referable to the stress from her recent job change.

  • Yet it is a gesture, again, easily referable to the infamously impetuous Crawford.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • So, when we turn the page, we face the stoic, half-smiling image of the "Alabama Cotton Tenant Farmer Wife," the pathos that attaches to the portrait of Annie Mae becomes referable to her being photographed per se.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The symptoms of the disease are referable to a specific infection, making diagnosis easier.

  • The damage was clearly referable to the storm that hit the area last month.

Synonyms

due
vsreferable
3.1

Happening because of something or someone

is about linking to an origin rather than stating direct causation
attributable
vsreferable
26 5.4

Caused by a particular person, event, or reason

is about being able to link something to a source rather than opinion
traceable
vsreferable
8 3.8

You can show it comes from a particular source

is about being linkable to a source even if origin cannot be found
ascribable
vsreferable
1 6.9

Able to be caused by a person or thing

is used for linking something to any origin rather than a single person
imputable
vsreferable
  • Formal
8.6

Able to be blamed on a person or caused by something

is broader, applying to origin or cause rather than only personal connection

Antonyms

94 3.5

Not connected to the topic or cause

How Attributable

traceable
8 3.8
referable
7.1
doubtful
38 3.0
unrelated
94 3.5

Surface Forms

referable positive

Morphology

referable = refer (transparent) = refer + able

Formed by productive suffixation from the verb 'refer' with the usual meaning 'capable of being referred to or attributed', which is directly inferable from the base.

Etymology

Referable comes from refer, which breaks into re- 'back' and fer 'carry', the same idea you see in transfer. So, if something is referable to a cause, it can be 'traced back' to that cause.