volatile

(vŏl'ə-tl, -tīl')
adj.

1. Chemistry.
   1. Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.
   2. That can be readily vaporized.
2. 1. Tending to vary often or widely, as in price: the ups and downs of volatile stocks.
   2. Inconstant; fickle: a flirt's volatile affections.
   3. Lighthearted; flighty: in a volatile mood.
   4. Ephemeral; fleeting.
3. Tending to violence; explosive: a volatile situation with troops and rioters eager for a confrontation.
4. Flying or capable of flying; volant.

[French, from Old French, from Latin volātilis, flying, from volātus, past participle of volāre, to fly.]

volatile vol'a·tile n.
volatility vol'a·til'i·ty (-tĭl'ĭ-tē) or vol'a·tile·ness (-tl-nĭs, -tīl'-) n.

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Substances that vaporize (boil) at relatively low temperatures. Examples include water (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH₄), and ammonia (NH₃).

With regard to computer memory, it means "temporary" and not "highly changeable," which is the usual meaning of the word. See volatile memory.

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tending to rapid and extreme fluctuations. The term is used to describe the size and frequency of the fluctuations in the price of a particular stock, bond, or commodity. A stock may be volatile because the outlook for the company is particularly uncertain, because there are only a few shares outstanding ( see also thin market), or because of various other reasons. Where the reasons for the variation have to do with the particular security as distinguished from market conditions, return is measured by a concept called alpha. A stock with an alpha factor of 1.25 is projected to rise in price by 25% in a year on the strength of its inherent values such as growth in earnings per share and regardless of the performance of the market as a whole. Market-related volatility, also called systematic risk, is measured by beta.
See also duration.

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adjective

Following no predictable pattern: capricious, changeable, erratic, fantastic, fantastical, fickle, freakish, inconsistent, inconstant, mercurial, temperamental, ticklish, uncertain, unpredictable, unstable, unsteady, variable, whimsical. See change/persist, continue/stop/pause.

adj

Definition: explosive, changeable
Antonyms: calm, firm, stable, steadfast

Descriptive of a substance which passes off easily as a gas or vapor, evaporating quickly.

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IN BRIEF: Changeable. Also: Evaporating quickly. Also: Tending to violence; explosive, as of behavior.

The benefit of having transferable skills in such a volatile marketplace is readily apparent. — Dan Brent Burt.

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Volatiles are aroma chemicals. It is a fundamental factor that flavors contain aroma chemicals whose characteristic vapor pressure vary from system to system. Furthermore, the saliva is aqueous, and most flavor chemicals tend toward oil solublility. Many foods contain both water and fats. Due to this fact, it becomes obvious that minor changes in a given food system such as changes in polarity, processing conditions, and solids content can greatly affect the flavor's performance. See Vapor Pressure, Saliva, Aqueous, Fat, Processing Conditions, Solid, Illusory Elution.

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Evaporating rapidly.

• v. anesthetic — see inhalation anesthetic.
• v. fatty acids — short-chain, soluble in water and steam-distillable; acetic, butyric, propionic acids. See also fatty acids.

(vol′ətil)
adj

Having a tendency to evaporate rapidly.

For a list of words related to volatility, see:

• Physical Properties and Changes - volatility: tendency of a substance to evaporate at normal temperatures and pressures

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See words rhyming with "volatility."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Volatile.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - flygtig, letbevægelig, omskiftelig
n. - en flygtig substans, et dyr der kan flyve

Nederlands (Dutch)
vluchtig, vervliegend, explosief (figuurlijk), voorbijgaand, levendig, makkelijk opgewekt, wispelturig, veranderlijk, vervliegende stof

Français (French)
adj. - (Chim) volatil, (fig) explosif, instable, lunatique, versatile, changeant
n. - (Chim) volatilité, (fig) caractère explosif, instabilité (d'un marché), versatilité

Deutsch (German)
adj. - flüchtig, volatil, unbeständig, sprunghaft
n. - Flüchtigkeit

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - (χημ.) πτητικός, ευκολοεξάτμιστος, επιπόλαιος, ασταθής, ευμετάβλητος

Italiano (Italian)
volatile

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - volátil, passageiro

Русский (Russian)
летучий, непостоянный, веселый, критический

Español (Spanish)
adj. - volátil, fugaz, explosivo
n. - volátil

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - flyktig, livlig, ombytlig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
挥发性的, 不稳定的, 可变的, 会飞的东西, 挥发物

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 揮發性的, 不穩定的, 可變的
n. - 會飛的東西, 揮發物

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 휘발성의, 격해지기 쉬운, 일시적인
n. - 새, 유익 동물, 휘발성 물질

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 揮発性の, 移り気な, 不安定な, 危険な, 揮発する, 移り気の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) متطاير, سريع التبخر, متغير, ربي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮נדיף, מתאדה בקלות, משתנה, הפכפך, קל-דעת‬
n. - ‮חומר נדיף‬

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