English

Adjective

scalable ‎(comparative more scalable, superlative most scalable)

1. Capable of being climbed. [from 16th c.]
2. Able to be changed in scale; resizeable. [from 20th c.]
   • 2011, David Runciman, "Socialism in One Country", London Review of Books, XXXIII.15:

     To use one of the ugliest words in the contemporary lexicon, Glasman and his colleagues believe that micro-democracy is scalable: get it right at the local level, and the rest will follow.

3. (computers) Able to greatly increase in capacity, with relative ease. [from 1980s]
   • 2002, Craig Hunt, "TCP/IP Network Administration 3rd ed", pg 82:

     Most systems have a small host table, but it cannot be used for all applications because it is not scalable and does not have a standard method for automatic distribution.

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Derived terms

• scalability

Translations

References

• scalable in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• scalable in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913