elasticity

[ih-la-stis-i-tee, ee-la-stis-]

noun

1. the state or quality of being elastic.

2. flexibility; resilience; adaptability.

   a statement with a great elasticity of meaning.

3. ability to resist or overcome depression; buoyancy.

4. Physics.,  the property of a substance that enables it to change its length, volume, or shape in direct response to a force effecting such a change and to recover its original form upon the removal of the force.

elasticity

1. The ability of a solid to return to its original shape or form after being subject to strain. Most solid materials display elasticity, up to a load point called the elastic limit; loads higher than this limit cause permanent deformation of the material.

2. See also Hooke's law

elasticity

¹

1. The property of a material that allows it to return to its original shape after having been deformed and to exert a force while deformed. (See stress.)

elasticity

²

1. A shift in either demand or supply of a good or service depending on its price. Demand is said to be elastic when it responds quickly to changes in prices, and inelastic when it responds sluggishly.

Other Word Forms

• nonelasticity noun
• unelasticity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of elasticity¹

First recorded in 1655–65; elastic + -ity

Example Sentences

While industry-funded studies suggested collagen supplements significantly improved skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkles, those that did not receive funding from pharmaceutical companies revealed no effect on skin.

From BBC

Collagen is a protein vital to skin elasticity and firmness, but there's little evidence that fabric containing collagen can deliver measurable benefits.

From BBC

Over time, like a rubber band left untouched in a drawer for a year, they lose elasticity.

From Los Angeles Times

The sushi chain also claimed that the movement seen in Lee’s video “may result from natural elasticity or the pressure of chopsticks when applied to its structure.”

From Salon

He married her and gave her his last name, but this marital lifeline doesn’t have enough elasticity to withstand Maria Sr.’s past.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adaptability 
• flexibility 
• resilience