malleable

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈmæl.iː.ə.bəl/ UK [ˈmaɫiəbəɫ] See IPA manual

Freq #40317

Meanings

1

adj
Easily shaped or changed; flexible.

My opinion on the subject is still malleable.
2

adj
Easily influenced or controlled by others.

The new recruits were young and malleable.
3

adj
Able to be hammered or pressed into thin sheets without breaking.

Gold is so malleable that it can be beaten into very thin foil.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · easily shaped or changed;... pliable fictile

2 adj · easily influenced or... ductile

Word family

Forms malleableness

Derived forms immalleablemalleableizationmalleableizemalleablizenonmalleablesemimalleableunmalleable

Related forms malleabilitymalleablenessmalleablymalleate

Etymology

From Middle French malléable, borrowed from Late Latin malleābilis, derived from Latin malleāre (“to hammer”), from malleus (“hammer”), from Proto-Indo-European *mal-ni- (“crushing”), an extended variant of *melh₂- (“crush, grind”).

*melh₂- Proto-Indo-European malléable Middle French malleābilis la-lat malleāre Latin *mal-ni- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# malleable

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈmæl.iː.ə.bəl/
**IPA (UK):** [ˈmaɫiəbəɫ]
**Frequency rank:** 40317

## Meanings
1. Easily shaped or changed; flexible.
2. Easily influenced or controlled by others.
3. Able to be hammered or pressed into thin sheets without breaking.

## Examples
- My opinion on the subject is still malleable.
- The new recruits were young and malleable.
- Gold is so malleable that it can be beaten into very thin foil.

## Derived Forms
- immalleable
- malleableization
- malleableize
- malleablize
- nonmalleable
- semimalleable
- unmalleable

## Related Forms
- malleability
- malleableness
- malleably
- malleate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *melh₂-
- Root: malléable
- Root: malleābilis
- Root: malleāre
- Root: *mal-ni-

## Etymology
From Middle French malléable, borrowed from Late Latin malleābilis, derived from Latin malleāre (“to hammer”), from malleus (“hammer”), from Proto-Indo-European *mal-ni- (“crushing”), an extended variant of *melh₂- (“crush, grind”).

## AI Etymology
Malleable is from Middle French malléable, borrowed from Late Latin malleābilis, derived from Latin malleāre (“to hammer”), from malleus (“hammer”), from Proto-Indo-European *mal-ni- (“crushing”), an extended variant of *melh₂- (“crush, grind”). Important recorded forms include *melh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), malléable (Middle French), malleābilis (la-lat), malleāre (Latin), and *mal-ni- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include easily shaped or changed; flexible and easily influenced or controlled by others. The wider family includes derived forms such as immalleable, malleableization, malleableize, malleablize, and nonmalleable; related words such as malleability, malleableness, malleably, and malleate.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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