plasticity

[ pla-stis-i-tee ]

/ plæˈstɪs ɪ ti /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plasticity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the quality or state of being plastic.

the capability of being molded, receiving shape, or being made to assume a desired form: the plasticity of social institutions; the great plasticity of clay.

Nearby words

Origin of plasticity

First recorded in 1775–85; plastic + -ity

Related formsnon·plas·tic·i·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plasticity

In opposition to Dewey's argument, it would be reasonable to contend that plasticity is inherent in all nervous substance.
John Dewey's logical theory|Delton Thomas Howard
This same element of plasticity accounts for the breaking of habits.
How to Teach|George Drayton Strayer and Naomi Norsworthy
The other quality we are to look for in the soul is mouldableness, plasticity.
Natural Law in the Spiritual World|Henry Drummond
Sand, possessing no plasticity, cannot be shaped or made to hold together.
The Potter's Craft|Charles F. Binns

The Girondists, who knew him, boasted of his honesty, and relied on his plasticity and weakness.
History of the Girondists, Volume I|Alphonse de Lamartine

British Dictionary definitions for plasticity

plasticity

/ (plæˈstɪsɪtɪ) /

noun

the quality of being plastic or able to be moulded

(in pictorial art) the quality of depicting space and form so that they appear three-dimensional

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 plasticity

plasticity

1782, from plastic + -ity.

plasticity

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of plasticity

Examples from the Web for plasticity

plasticity

noun

plasticity