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volatile

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vol⋅a⋅tile

  [vol-uh-tl, -til or, especially Brit., -tahyl]
Use volatile in a Sentence
–adjective
1. evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor: Acetone is a volatile solvent.
2. tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive: a volatile political situation.
3. changeable; mercurial; flighty: a volatile disposition.
4. (of prices, values, etc.) tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly: volatile market conditions.
5. fleeting; transient: volatile beauty.
6. Computers. of or pertaining to storage that does not retain data when electrical power is turned off or fails.
7. able to fly or flying.
–noun
8. a volatile substance, as a gas or solvent.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < L volātilis, equiv. to volāt(us) (ptp. of volāre to fly; see -ate 1 ) + -ilis -ile

Related forms:
vol⋅a⋅til⋅i⋅ty  [vol-uh-til-i-tee] , vol⋅a⋅tile⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. eruptive, unstable, unsettled.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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vol·a·tile   (vŏl'ə-tl, -tīl')   
adj.  

  1. Chemistry

    1. Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.

    2. That can be readily vaporized.

    3. Tending to vary often or widely, as in price: the ups and downs of volatile stocks.

    4. Inconstant; fickle: a flirt's volatile affections.

    5. Lighthearted; flighty: in a volatile mood.

    6. Ephemeral; fleeting.

    1. Tending to vary often or widely, as in price: the ups and downs of volatile stocks.

    2. Inconstant; fickle: a flirt's volatile affections.

    3. Lighthearted; flighty: in a volatile mood.

    4. Ephemeral; fleeting.

  3. Tending to violence; explosive: a volatile situation with troops and rioters eager for a confrontation.

  4. Flying or capable of flying; volant.


[French, from Old French, from Latin volātilis, flying, from volātus, past participle of volāre, to fly.]
vol'a·tile n., vol'a·til'i·ty (-tĭl'ĭ-tē), vol'a·tile·ness (-tl-nĭs, -tīl'-) 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.
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Word Origin & History

volatile 
1597 "fine or light," also "evaporating rapidly" (1605), from M.Fr. volatile, from L. volatilis "fleeting, transitory, flying," from pp. stem of volare "to fly," of unknown origin. Sense of "readily changing, fickle" is first recorded 1647. Volatiles in M.E. meant "birds, butterflies, and other winged creatures" (c.1300).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

volatile

Tending to be subject to large price fluctuations. Traders generally prefer volatile securities if they buy and sell on short-term price movements. See also beta.

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: 1vol·a·tile
Pronunciation: 'väl-&t-&l, esp Brit -&-"tIl
Function: noun
: a volatilesubstance

Main Entry: 2volatile
Function: adjective
: readily vaporizable at a relatively low temperature —vol·a·til·i·ty /"väl-&-'til-&t-E/ noun plural -ties
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

volatile vol·a·tile (vŏl'ə-tl, -tīl')
adj.

  1. Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.

  2. That can be readily vaporized.

  3. Tending to violence; explosive, as of behavior.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
volatile   (vŏl'ə-tl)  Pronunciation Key 
Changing easily from liquid to vapor at normal temperatures and pressures. Essential oils used in perfumes are highly volatile.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

volatile
1. volatile variable.
2. See non-volatile storage.
(1997-06-05)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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