mobility

Etymology

From Middle French mobilité, and its source, Latin mōbilitās (“mobility”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /mə(ʊ)ˈbɪlɪti/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /moʊˈbɪlɪti/

Noun

mobility (countable and uncountable, plural mobilities)

1. The ability to move; capacity for movement. [from 15th c.]
   • 2015, Hadley Freeman, The Guardian, 15 June:

     I find the enduring existence of high heels both a frustrating mystery and a testament to the triumph of women’s neuroses over their mobility.

2. (now chiefly literary) A tendency to sudden change; mutability, changeableness. [from 16th c.]
3. (military) The ability of a military unit to move or be transported to a new position. [from 18th c.]
4. (chiefly physics) The degree to which particles of a liquid or gas are in movement. [from 19th c.]
5. (chiefly sociology) People's ability to move between different social levels or professional occupations. [from 19th c.]