different between changeable vs flighty

English

Etymology

From Old French changeable

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t??e?nd???b?l/

Adjective

changeable (comparative more changeable, superlative most changeable)

1. Capable of being changed.
2. Subject to sudden or frequent changes.

3. (of a species) Capable of camouflaging itself by changing colour.

Synonyms

• (capable of being changed): alterable, modifiable, variable; see also Thesaurus:mutable
• (subject to sudden or frequent changes): fickle, labile, variable; see also Thesaurus:changeable
• (capable of camouflaging): chameleonic

Derived terms

Translations

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???.?abl/

Adjective

changeable (plural changeables)

1. changeable (capable of being changed)

Related terms

• see changer

Further reading

• “changeable” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

From flight +? -y. Compare Dutch vluchtig (“volatile; fleeting; cursory”), German flüchtig (“volatile; fleeting; momentary; quick”), Danish flygtig (“elusive; evasive”), Swedish flyktig.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?fla?ti/

Adjective

flighty (comparative flightier, superlative flightiest)

1. Given to unplanned and silly ideas or actions.
2. (of a bird) That flies easily or often.
   • 2013, Diego Gil, Henrik Brumm, Avian Urban Ecology

     "We know that flighty birds suffer from greater risk of raptor predation, and I assume that it is useful to understand the effects of urbanization because flighty species may be more vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance."

3. (obsolete) Swift.

Translations