Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words
Definition of plasticity - 3 dictionary results

plas⋅tic⋅i⋅ty

  [pla-stis-i-tee]
Use plasticity in a Sentence
–noun
1. the quality or state of being plastic.
2. the capability of being molded, receiving shape, or being made to assume a desired form: the plasticity of social institutions; the great plasticity of clay.
Origin:
1775–85; plastic + -ity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To plasticity
plas·tic   (plās'tĭk)   
adj.  

  1. Capable of being shaped or formed: plastic material such as clay. See Synonyms at malleable.

  2. Relating to or dealing with shaping or modeling: the plastic art of sculpture.

  3. Having the qualities of sculpture; well-formed: "the astonishing plastic beauty of the chorus girls" (Frank Harris).

  4. Giving form or shape to a substance: the plastic forces that create and wear down a mountain range.

  5. Easily influenced; impressionable.

  6. Made of a plastic or plastics: a plastic garden hose.

  7. Physics Capable of undergoing continuous deformation without rupture or relaxation.

  8. Biology Capable of building tissue; formative.

  9. Marked by artificiality or superficiality; synthetic: a plastic world of fad, hype, and sensation.

  10. Informal Of or obtained by means of credit cards: plastic money.

n.  

  1. Any of various organic compounds produced by polymerization, capable of being molded, extruded, cast into various shapes and films, or drawn into filaments used as textile fibers.

  2. Objects made of plastic.

  3. Informal A credit card or credit cards: would accept cash or plastic in payment.


[Latin plasticus, from Greek plastikos, from plastos, molded, from plassein, to mold; see pelə-2 in Indo-European roots.]
plas'ti·cal·ly adv., plas·tic'i·ty (plās-tĭs'ĭ-tē) n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: plas·tic·i·ty
Pronunciation: pla-'stis-&t-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
1 : the quality or state of being plastic; especially : capacity for being molded or altered
2 : the ability to retain a shape attained by pressure deformation
3 : the capacity of organisms with the same genotype to vary in developmental pattern, in phenotype, or in behavior according to varying environmental conditions
4 : the capacity for continuous alteration of the neural circuits and synapses of the living brain and nervous system in response to experience or injury that involves the formation of new circuits andsynapses and the elimination or modification of existing ones
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see plasticity on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way