volatile

Etymology

From Middle French volatile, from Latin volātilis (“flying; swift; temporary; volatile”), from volō (“I fly”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈvɑl.ə.tl̩/, /ˈvɑl.əˌtaɪ.əl/, [ˈvɑ.lə.ɾɫ̩]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈvɒl.əˌtaɪ.(ə)l/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Adjective

volatile (comparative more volatile, superlative most volatile)

1. (physics) evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions.
2. (of a substance, informal) explosive.
3. (of a price etc) variable or erratic.
4. (of a person) quick to become angry or violent.
5. fickle.
6. temporary or ephemeral.
7. (of a situation) potentially violent.
8. (computing, of a variable) having its associated memory immediately updated with any changes in value.
9. (computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
10. (obsolete) Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly.

Noun

volatile (plural volatiles)

1. A chemical or compound that changes into a gas easily.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɔ.la.til/

Adjective

volatile

1. feminine singular of volatil
2. Alternative spelling of volatil, as a masculine singular

Noun

volatile m (plural volatiles)

1. fowl, bird

Further reading

• “volatile” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Adjective

volatile

1. inflected form of volatil

Adjective

volatile (masculine and feminine plural volatili)

1. (chemistry, physics) volatile
2. flying

Noun

volatile m (plural volatili)

1. bird
2. fowl

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /woˈlaː.ti.le/, [wɔˈɫaː.tɪ.ɫɛ]

Adjective

volātile

1. nominative neuter singular of volātilis
2. accusative neuter singular of volātilis
3. vocative neuter singular of volātilis

References

• volatile in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)