l, met-uh-stey-]
| 1. | Metallurgy. chemically unstable in the absence of certain conditions that would induce stability, but not liable to spontaneous transformation. |
| 2. | Also, labile. Physics, Chemistry. pertaining to a body or system existing at an energy level (metastable state) above that of a more stable state and requiring the addition of a small amount of energy to induce a transition to the more stable state. |