/
ˈvɒlətʌɪl/
adj.
- (of a substance) easily evaporated at normal temperatures.
- liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse.
▸liable to display rapid changes of emotion.
- (of a computer's memory) retaining data only as long as there is a power supply connected.
n.
a volatile substance.
Derivative
- volatility n.
- volatilization
or volatilisation n. - volatilize
or volatilise v.
Etymology
ME (in the senses ‘creature that flies, birds’): from OFr. volatil or L. volatilis, from volare ‘to fly’.
