elastic

elastic

English

Alternative forms

• elastick (obsolete)

Etymology

From French élastique, from New Latin elasticus (“elastic”), from Ancient Greek ἐλαστός (elastós), alternative form of ἐλατός (elatós, “ductile”) (cf. ἐλατήρ (elatḗr, “a driver, hurler”)), from ἐλαύνω (elaúnō, “to drive, set in motion, push, strike, beat out”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /iˈlæstɪk/, /əˈlæstɪk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æstɪk
• Hyphenation: elas‧tic

Adjective

elastic (comparative more elastic, superlative most elastic)

1. Capable of stretching; particularly, capable of stretching so as to return to an original shape or size when force is released.
   • 1820, Encyclopaedia Britannica; Or A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous Literature‎, volume 20, 6th edition, Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Company, page 501:

     In trumpets for assisting the hearing, all reverbation of the trumpet must be avoided. It must be made thick, of the least elastic materials, and covered with cloth externally. For all reverbation lasts for a short time, and produces new sounds which mix with those which are coming in.

   The rope is somewhat elastic, so expect it to give when you pull on it.

2. Made of elastic.

   elastic band

3. Of clothing, elasticated.
4. (economics) Sensitive to changes in price.

   Demand for entertainment is more elastic than demand for energy.

5. springy; bouncy; vivacious
   • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars:

     He could see that she was tastefully, though not richly, dressed, and that she walked with an elastic step that revealed a light heart and the vigor of perfect health. Her face, of course, he could not analyze, since he had caught only the one brief but convincing glimpse of it.

6. Pervasive, all-encompassing.
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), OCLC 630079698, page 74:

     It was now about six o'clock, and that first freshness was on the air, which is to the day what youth is to life,—so light, so elastic, so sweet, and so brief:...

7. Able to return quickly to a former state or condition, after being depressed or overtaxed; having power to recover easily from shocks and trials.

   elastic spirits; an elastic constitution

Synonyms

• stretchy
• stretchable

Antonyms

• anelastic
• inelastic
• nonelastic

Derived terms

• elasticated
• elastic band
• elastic collision
• elastic energy
• elasticity
• elasticize
• elastic limit
• elastic-sided
• elastic-sides
• elastic sides
• elasto-
• ferroelastic
• fibroelastic
• hydroelastic
• hyperelastic
• hypoelastic
• income-elastic
• isoelastic
• magnetelastic
• magnetoelastic
• mechanoelastic
• microelastic
• morphoelastic
• musculo-elastic
• myoelastic
• perfectly elastic supply
• photoelastic
• poroelastic
• porohyperelastic
• poroviscoelastic
• pseudoelastic
• quasielastic
• superelastic
• thermoelastic
• thermoviscoelastic
• viscoelastic

 

Translations

capable of stretching

Arabic: مَرِن‎ (marin) Armenian: առաձգական (hy) (aṙajgakan) Bulgarian: еластичен (bg) (elastičen) Catalan: elàstic Chinese: Mandarin: 彈性的／弹性的 (zh) (tánxìng de), 有彈力的／有弹力的 (zh) (yǒu tánlì de) Czech: pružný (cs) m, elastický (cs) Danish: elastisk, smidig Finnish: joustava (fi), kimmoisa French: élastique (fr) m or f German: dehnbar (de), elastisch (de) Hungarian: rugalmas (hu), elasztikus (hu), ruganyos (hu) Indonesian: elastis (id) Irish: leaisteach Italian: elastico (it) m, elastica (it) f Japanese: エラスティック (erasutikku) Malay: kenyal, anyal, elastik Manx: so-lhoobey Norman: êlastique Norwegian: elastisk (no), strekkbar Persian: الاستیک‎, ارتجاعی‎ (fa), کشسان‎ (fa) Polish: elastyczny (pl), rozciągliwy, ciągliwy Portuguese: elástico (pt) Romanian: elastic (ro) Russian: эласти́чный (ru) (elastíčnyj), ги́бкий (ru) (gíbkij) Scottish Gaelic: lastaig Slovak: pružný, elastický Slovene: prožen Spanish: elástico (es) Swedish: töjbar (sv), tänjbar (sv), elastisk (sv) Tagalog: igkasin, manaynay Thai: ยืดหยุ่น (th) (yʉ̂ʉt-yùn) Turkish: elastik (tr) Turkmen: çeýe Ukrainian: еласти́чний (elastýčnyj)

made of elastic

Bulgarian: ластичен (lastičen) Dutch: elastieken (nl) Finnish: elastinen (fi) French: élastique (fr) m or f Hungarian: gumi- (hu) (as a prefix in compounds) Irish: leaisteach Norman: êlastique Portuguese: elástico (pt) Scottish Gaelic: lastaig

elasticated — see elasticated

sensitive to changes in price

Armenian: առաձգական (hy) (aṙajgakan) Catalan: elàstic French: élastique (fr) m or f Norman: êlastique Norwegian: priselastisk Tagalog: igkasin

springy; bouncy; vivacious

Hungarian: ruganyos (hu) Polish: elastyczny (pl), sprężysty (pl)

able to return quickly to a former state or condition, after being depressed or overtaxed; having power to recover easily from shocks and trials

Hungarian: rugalmas (hu)

Noun

elastic (countable and uncountable, plural elastics)

1. (uncountable) An elastic material used in clothing, particularly in waistbands and cuffs.

   running shorts use elastic to eliminate the need for a belt

2. (countable) An elastic band.

Derived terms

• gum elastic
• hair elastic

 

Translations

material

Armenian: please add this translation if you can Bulgarian: ластик m (lastik) Finnish: joustokangas French: élastique (fr) m or f German: Gummiband (de) n Maori: rāhiteke Norwegian: Bokmål: elastikk m Nynorsk: elastikk m Portuguese: elástico (pt) m Russian: please add this translation if you can Scottish Gaelic: lastaig f Spanish: elástico (es) m Tibetan: འགྱིག ('gyig)

elastic band — see elastic band

Further reading

• elastic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• elastic in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• elastic at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Altices, Castiel, Castile, astelic, laciest, latices, salicet

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Romanian

Etymology

From French élastique.

Adjective

elastic m or n (feminine singular elastică, masculine plural elastici, feminine and neuter plural elastice)

1. elastic

Declension

Declension of elastic

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	elastic		elastică	elastici	elastice
	definite	elasticul		elastica	elasticii	elasticele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	elastic		elastice	elastici	elastice
	definite	elasticului		elasticei	elasticilor	elasticelor