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volatile

Pronunciation: /ˈvɒl.əˌtaɪl/

The English word “volatile” has 12 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions.
  2. Of a substance, explosive.
  3. Of a price, variable or erratic.
  4. Of a person, quick to become angry or violent.
  5. Fickle.
  6. Temporary or ephemeral.
  7. Of a situation potentially violent.
  8. Of a variable etc., having its associated memory immediately updated with any changes in value.
  9. Of memory, whose content is lost when the computer is powered down.
  10. Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly.

noun

  1. A chemical or compound that changes into a gas easily.
  2. A variable that is volatile, i.e. has its associated memory immediately updated with any change in value.

Etymology

From Middle French volatile, from Latin volātilis (“flying; swift; temporary; volatile”), from volō (“to fly”).

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.