labile
[
ley
-b
uh
l, -bahyl]
/ˈleɪ bəl, -baɪl/
adjective
1.
apt or likely to change.
2.
Chemistry.
(of a compound) capable of changing state or becoming inactive when subjected to heat or radiation.
Origin
1400-50;
late Middle English
labyl
<
Late Latin
lābilis,
equivalent to
Latin
lāb
(
ī
) to slip +
-ilis
-ile
Related forms
lability
[l
uh
-
bil
-i-tee, ley-]
/ləˈbɪl ɪ ti, leɪ-/
(
Show IPA
),
noun
Examples from the web for
labile
But then you see them as they're older, and they're off in college and not having these
labile
mood swings anymore.
Brilliant originals come in two kinds: emotionally stable and emotionally extremely
labile
.
People with
labile
boundaries need external controls, and legal consequences can offer one kind of useful control.
Emotionally
labile
patients should avoid stimulants, as they exacerbate mood shifting.
British Dictionary definitions for
labile
labile
/
ˈleɪbɪl
/
adjective
1.
(
chem
) (of a compound) prone to chemical change
2.
liable to change or move
Derived Forms
lability
(
ləˈbɪlɪtɪ
)
noun
Word Origin
C15: via Late Latin
lābilis,
from Latin
lābī
to slide, slip
labile
in Medicine
labile
la·bile (lā'bīl', -bəl)
adj.
Constantly undergoing or likely to undergo change; unstable.
la·bil'i·ty
(-bĭl'ĭ-tē)
n.