different between labile vs metastable

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin l?bilis (“apt to slip, transient”), from l?bor, l?b? (“slip; glide, flow”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?le?ba?l/

Adjective

labile (comparative more labile, superlative most labile)

1. Liable to slip, err, fall, or apostatize.
2. Apt or likely to change.

   Synonym: unstable
3. (chemistry, of a compound or bond) Kinetically unstable; rapidly cleaved (and possibly reformed).

4. (linguistics, of a verb) Able to change valency without changing its form; especially, able to be used both transitively and intransitively without changing its form.

Derived terms

Related terms

• frigolabile
• lability
• lapse

Translations

Further reading

• labile in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• labile in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• labile at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Belial, Biella, alible, liable

Danish

Adjective

labile

1. definite singular of labil
2. indefinite plural of labil
3. definite plural of labil

French

Etymology

From Latin l?bilis (“apt to slip, transient”), from l?bor, l?b? (“slip; glide, flow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la.bil/

Adjective

labile (plural labiles)

1. labile

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• baille, bâille, bâillé

Italian

Etymology

From Latin l?bilis (“apt to slip, transient”), from l?bor, l?b? (“slip; glide, flow”).

Adjective

labile (plural labili)

1. fleeting, ephemeral
2. fickle

Anagrams

• biella, Biella

Latin

Adjective

l?bile

1. nominative neuter singular of l?bilis
2. accusative neuter singular of l?bilis
3. vocative neuter singular of l?bilis

English

Etymology

meta- +? stable

Adjective

metastable (not comparable)

1. (physics, chemistry) Of or pertaining to a physical or chemical state that is relatively long-lived, but may decay to a lower energy state when slightly perturbed or through a quantum transition.

Translations

Noun

metastable (plural metastables)

1. A particle, etc. in the metastable state.

Anagrams

• metatables, stablemate, steam table, steamtable, tablemates