malleable
[ mal-ee-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈmæl i ə bəl /
adjective
capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers.
adaptable or tractable: the malleable mind of a child.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
mallarmé, stéphane, mallcore, malle, malle, louis, malleability, malleable, malleable cast iron, malleable iron, malleablize, malleate, mallee
Origin of malleable
1350–1400; Middle English malliable < Medieval Latin malleābilis, equivalent to malle(āre) to hammer (derivative of Latin malleus hammer) + -ābilis -able
SYNONYMS FOR malleable
Related formsmal·le·a·bly, adverbmal·le·a·bil·i·ty, mal·le·a·ble·ness, nounnon·mal·le·a·ble, adjectiveun·mal·le·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for malleable
British Dictionary definitions for malleable
malleable
/ (ˈmælɪəbəl) /
adjective
(esp of metal) able to be worked, hammered, or shaped under pressure or blows without breaking
able to be influenced; pliable or tractable
Derived Formsmalleability or rare malleableness, nounmalleably, adverb
Word Origin for malleable
C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin malleābilis, from Latin malleus hammer
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
Word Origin and History for malleable
malleable
late 14c., "capable of being shaped by hammering," from Middle French malleable and directly from Medieval Latin malleabilis, from malleare "to beat with a hammer," from Latin malleus "hammer" (see mallet). Figurative sense, of persons, "capable of being adapted" first recorded 1610s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for malleable
malleable
[ măl′ē-ə-bəl ]
adj.
Capable of being shaped or formed, as by hammering or pressure.
Easily controlled or influenced; tractable.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for malleable
malleable
[ măl′ē-ə-bəl ]
Capable of great deformation without breaking, when subject to compressive stress. Gold is the most malleable metal. Compare ductile.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.