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unelastic

 - 5 dictionary results

e⋅las⋅tic

  [i-las-tik]
Use unelastic in a Sentence
–adjective
1. capable of returning to its original length, shape, etc., after being stretched, deformed, compressed, or expanded: an elastic waistband; elastic fiber.
2. spontaneously expansive, as gases.
3. flexible; accommodating; adaptable; tolerant: elastic rules and regulations.
4. springing back or rebounding; springy: He walks with an elastic step.
5. readily recovering from depression or exhaustion; buoyant: an elastic temperament.
6. Economics. relatively responsive to change, as to a proportionate increase in demand as the result of a decrease in price. Compare inelastic (def. 2).
7. Physics. of, pertaining to, or noting a body having the property of elasticity.
–noun
8. webbing, or material in the form of a band, made elastic, as with strips of rubber.
9. something made from this material, as a garter.
10. rubber band.
Origin:
1645–55; < NL elasticus expanding spontaneously, equiv. to Gk elast(ós) (late var. of elatós ductile, beaten (of metal), deriv. of elaúnein, elân beat out, forge) + -icus -ic

Related forms:
e⋅las⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
3. resilient, pliant.

Antonyms:
3. rigid, inflexible, intolerant, unyielding.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

elastic  (adj.)
1653, coined in Fr. (1651) as a scientific term to describe gases, from Gk. elastos "ductile, flexible," related to elaunein "to strike, beat out," of uncertain origin. Applied to solids from 1674. The noun, "cord or string woven with rubber," is 1847, Amer.Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

elastic

Of or relating to the demand for a good or service when the quantity purchased varies significantly in response to price changes in the good or service. For example, the demand for a product with many close substitutes is elastic because a small price rise will cause consumers to switch to competing brands. Compare inelastic.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2elastic
Function: noun
1 a : easily stretched rubber usually prepared in cords, strings, or bands b : a band of elasticused especially in orthodontics; also : one placed around a tooth at the gumline in effecting its nonsurgical removal
2 a : an elastic fabric usually made of yarnscontaining rubber b : something made from this fabric
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

elastic e·las·tic (ĭ-lās'tĭk)
adj.
Having the property of returning to the original shape after being distorted.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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