different between mutable vs desultory

English

Etymology

From Latin mutabilis (“liable to change”); mutate +? -able.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mju?t?bl?/
• Homophone: muteable

Adjective

mutable (comparative more mutable, superlative most mutable)

1. Changeable, dynamic, evolutive; inclined to change, evolve, mutate.
   • 1608, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Coriolanus, [Act III, scene i]:

     For the mutable ranke-?ented Meynie, / Let them regard me, as I doe not flatter, / And therein behold them?elues.
2. (programming, of a variable) Having a value that is changeable during program execution.
   • 2011, David Flanagan, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide:

     A value of a mutable type can change. Objects and arrays are mutable: a JavaScript program can change the values of object properties and array elements. Numbers, booleans, null, and undefined are immutable.

3. (astrology) Being one of the signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, associated with adaptability, flexibility and sympathy.

   Synonym: bicorporeal

Antonyms

• immutable

Translations

See also

• alterable
• nonimmutable

Noun

mutable (plural mutables)

1. Something mutable; a variable or value that can change.
   • 1990, Kenneth D. Bailey, Social Entropy Theory (page 281)

     Hypothesis 6.14: Entropy levels within the social group may vary but must be maintained below maximum entropy on certain relevant variables (e.g., on the six globals and five mutables).

Anagrams

• atumble

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /my.tabl/

Adjective

mutable (plural mutables)

1. mutable, changeable
2. (programming) mutable

Further reading

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

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mu?table/, [mu?t?a.??le]

Adjective

mutable (plural mutables)

1. Rare form of mudable.

Further reading

• “mutable” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

From Latin d?sult?rius (“hasty, casual, superficial”), from d?sult?r (“a circus rider who jumped from one galloping horse to another”), from d?sili? (“jump down”), from d? (“down”) + sali? (“jump, leap”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?d?s.?l.t(?).?i/, /?d?z.?l.t(?).?i/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?d?s.?l?t??.i/, /?d?z.?l?t??.i/
• ,

Adjective

desultory (comparative more desultory, superlative most desultory)

1. Jumping, or passing, from one thing or subject to another, without order, planning, or rational connection; lacking logical sequence.

   Synonyms: disconnected, unmethodical, aimless, quodlibetic, (in conversation) quodlibetical

2. Out of course; by the way; not connected with the subject.

3. Disappointing in performance or progress.
4. (obsolete) Leaping, skipping or flitting about, generally in a random or unsteady manner.

Derived terms

• desultorily

Related terms

• salient

Translations

Further reading

• desultory in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

References

Anagrams

• Stroudley