VOLATILE

volatile

(adjective) tending to vary often or widely; “volatile stocks”; “volatile emotions”

fickle, volatile

(adjective) marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments; “fickle friends”; “a flirt’s volatile affections”

explosive, volatile

(adjective) liable to lead to sudden change or violence; “an explosive issue”; “a volatile situation with troops and rioters eager for a confrontation”

volatile

(adjective) evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures; “volatile oils”; “volatile solvents”

volatile

(noun) a volatile substance; a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor; “it was heated to evaporate the volatiles”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Adjective

volatile (comparative more volatile, superlative most volatile)

(physics) Evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions.

(of a substance, informal) Explosive.

(of a price etc) Variable or erratic.

(of a person) Quick to become angry or violent.

Fickle.

Temporary or ephemeral.

(of a situation) Potentially violent.

(computing, of a variable) Having its associated memory immediately updated with any changes in value.

(computing, of memory) Whose content is lost when the computer is powered down

(obsolete) Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly.

Synonyms

• See also ephemeral

Noun

volatile (plural volatiles)

A chemical or compound that changes into a gas easily.

Source: Wiktionary

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Vol"a*tile, a. Etym: [F. volatil, L. volatilis, fr. volare to fly, perhaps akin to velox swift, E. velocity. Cf. Volley.]

1. Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly. [Obs.]

2. Capable of wasting away, or of easily passing into the aëriform state; subject to evaporation.

Note: Substances which affect the smell with pungent or fragrant odors, as musk, hartshorn, and essential oils, are called volatile substances, because they waste away on exposure to the atmosphere. Alcohol and ether are called volatile liquids for a similar reason, and because they easily pass into the state of vapor on the application of heat. On the contrary, gold is a fixed substance, because it does not suffer waste, even when exposed to the heat of a furnace; and oils are called fixed when they do not evaporate on simple exposure to the atmosphere.

3. Fig.: Light-hearted; easily affected by circumstances; airy; lively; hence, changeable; fickle; as, a volatile temper. You are as giddy and volatile as ever. Swift. Volatile alkali. (Old Chem.) See under Alkali.

– Volatile liniment, a liniment composed of sweet oil and ammonia, so called from the readiness with which the latter evaporates.

– Volatile oils. (Chem.) See Essential oils, under Essential.

Vol"a*tile, n. Etym: [Cf. F. volatile.]

Definition: A winged animal; wild fowl; game. [Obs.] Chaucer. Sir T. Browne.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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