elasticity
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (1)
- the tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed“the waistband had lost its snap”Synonyms: snapOpposite inelasticityType of physical propertyKinds bounce, give, resilience, stretch, temper, elasticity of shear
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: Cf. F. élasticité.
1. The quality of being elastic; the inherent property in bodies by which they recover their former figure or dimensions, after the removal of external pressure or altering force; springiness; resilience; tendency to rebound; as, the elasticity of caoutchouc; the elasticity of the air.
2. Power of resistance to, or recovery from, depression or overwork; — usually referred to as resilience[3].
Coefficient of elasticity, the quotient of a stress (of a given kind), by the strain (of a given kind) which it produces; — called also coefficient of resistance. — Surface of elasticity Geometry, the pedal surface of an ellipsoid (see Pedal); a surface used in explaining the phenomena of double refraction and their relation to the elastic force of the luminous ether in crystalline media.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54