elastic

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Able to stretch and return to its original shape when released.

   The waistband is elastic, so it fits comfortably.

2. 2
   noun

   A stretchy material used in clothing, especially in waistbands and cuffs.

   The elastic in these old socks has lost its stretch.

3. 3
   adj

   Able to change or adapt easily to new conditions.

   The schedule is fairly elastic, so we can add meetings if needed.

4. 4
   adj

   Sensitive to changes in price (in economics).

   Demand for luxury goods is more elastic than demand for food.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Elastic comes from Greek elastikos, ultimately from elaunein “to drive.” First recorded in the 1650s, it initially described a gas’s ability to expand and fill a space; comparison with a coiled spring helped produce the modern sense of stretching and returning to shape. The noun for stretchable woven material appeared in the mid-19th century.

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”).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary