different between transient vs volatile

English

Etymology

From stem of Latin transiens, present participle of transire (“to go over, to pass”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t?æn.zi.?nt/

Adjective

transient (comparative more transient, superlative most transient)

1. Passing or disappearing with time; transitory.

   a transient pleasure
2. Remaining for only a brief time.

   a transient view of a landscape

   a transient disease

3. (physics) Decaying with time, especially exponentially.
4. (mathematics, stochastic processes, of a state) having a positive probability of being left and never being visited again.
5. Occasional; isolated; one-off
6. Passing through; passing from one person to another.
7. (music) Intermediate.
8. (philosophy) Operating beyond itself; having an external effect.

Synonyms

• (passing): passing, transitory, temporary
• (brief): brief, ephemeral, fleeting, flighty, fugacious

Antonyms

• (passing): permanent
• (brief): permanent, inveterate
• (mathematics): recurrent
• (philosophy): immanent

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

transient (plural transients)

1. Something that is transient.
2. (physics) A transient phenomenon, especially an electric current; a very brief surge.
3. (acoustics) A relatively loud, non-repeating signal in an audio waveform that occurs very quickly, such as the attack of a snare drum.
4. A person who passes through a place for a short time; a traveller; a migrant worker
   • 1996, Janette Turner Hospital, Oyster, Virago Press, paperback edition, page 3

     Then, within the space of a few months, there were more transients than there were locals, and the imbalance seemed morally wrong.

5. A homeless person.

Synonyms

• (traveller): itinerant, migrant, traveller
• (homeless person): homeless

Translations

Anagrams

• instanter, intranets

English

Etymology

From Middle French volatile, from Latin vol?tilis (“flying; swift; temporary; volatile”), from vol? (“I fly”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?v?l.?.tl?/, /?v?l.??ta?.?l/, [?v?.l?.???]
• (UK) IPA^(key): /?v?l.??ta?.(?)l/

Adjective

volatile (comparative more volatile, superlative most volatile)

2. (physics) Evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions.
3. (of a substance, informal) Explosive.
4. (of a price etc) Variable or erratic.
5. (of a person) Quick to become angry or violent.

6. Fickle.
7. Temporary or ephemeral.
8. (of a situation) Potentially violent.
9. (computing, of a variable) Having its associated memory immediately updated with any changes in value.
10. (computing, of memory) Whose content is lost when the computer is powered down
11. (obsolete) Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:ephemeral

Derived terms

• volatility
• volatile memory

Translations

Noun

volatile (plural volatiles)

1. A chemical or compound that changes into a gas easily.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /v?.la.til/

Adjective

volatile

1. feminine singular of volatil
2. Alternative spelling of volatil, as a masculine singular

Noun

volatile m (plural volatiles)

1. fowl, bird

Further reading

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

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

volatile

1. inflection of volatil:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Etymology

From Latin vol?tilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vo?la.ti.le/

Adjective

volatile (plural volatili)

1. (chemistry, physics) volatile
2. flying

   Synonym: volante

Noun

volatile m (plural volatili)

1. bird, fowl

   Synonym: uccello

Further reading

• volatile in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /u?o?la?.ti.le/, [u?????ä?t?????]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /vo?la.ti.le/, [v??l??t?il?]

Adjective

vol?tile

1. nominative neuter singular of vol?tilis
2. accusative neuter singular of vol?tilis
3. vocative neuter singular of vol?tilis

References

• volatile in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)