elasticity

[ ih-la-stis-i-tee, ee-la-stis- ]
See synonyms for elasticity on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the state or quality of being elastic.

  2. flexibility; resilience; adaptability: a statement with a great elasticity of meaning.

  1. ability to resist or overcome depression; buoyancy.

  2. 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.

Origin of elasticity

1
First recorded in 1655–65; elastic + -ity

Other words from elasticity

  • non·e·las·tic·i·ty, noun
  • un·e·las·tic·i·ty, noun

Words Nearby elasticity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use elasticity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for elasticity

elasticity

/ (ɪlæˈstɪsɪtɪ, ˌiːlæ-) /


noun
  1. the property of a body or substance that enables it to resume its original shape or size when a distorting force is removed: See also elastic limit

  2. the state or quality of being elastic; flexibility or buoyancy

  1. a measure of the sensitivity of demand for goods or services to changes in price or other marketing variables, such as advertising

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for elasticity

elasticity

[ ĭ-lă-stĭsĭ-tē ]


  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. See also Hooke's law.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for elasticity (1 of 2)

elasticity

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.

elasticity

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.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.