volatile

Definitions


[ˈvɒlətʌɪl], (Adjective)

Definitions:
- (of a substance) easily evaporated at normal temperatures
(e.g: volatile solvents such as petroleum ether, hexane, and benzene)

- liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse
(e.g: the political situation was becoming more volatile)

- (of a computer's memory) retaining data only as long as there is a power supply connected


Phrases:

Origin:
Middle English (in the sense ‘creature that flies’, also, as a collective, ‘birds’): from Old French volatil or Latin volatilis, from volare ‘to fly’


[ˈvɒlətʌɪl], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a volatile substance


Phrases:

Origin:
Middle English (in the sense ‘creature that flies’, also, as a collective, ‘birds’): from Old French volatil or Latin volatilis, from volare ‘to fly’




definition by Oxford Dictionaries