different between volatile vs fitful

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)

English

Etymology

From fit +? -ful.

Pronunciation

Adjective

fitful (comparative more fitful, superlative most fitful)

1. Irregular; unsteady; characterized by fits.

   His breathing was fitful.

   • 1605, Shakespeare, Macbeth, act III

     […] Duncan is in his grave;

     After life's fitful fever he sleeps well;

   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 123

     The cabin lamp—taking long swings this way and that— was burning fitfully, and casting fitful shadows upon the old man’s bolted door [...]

   • 2012, The Economist, The economy: Don’t say “green shoots”

     So fitful has Britain’s economy been that any good news is understandably snatched at.

Synonyms

• intermittent, spasmodic; see also Thesaurus:discontinuous

Derived terms

• fitfully
• fitfulness

Translations