LABILE


Meaning of LABILE in English

ˈlābə̇l, ˈlāˌbīl also -ˌbēl adjective

Etymology: Middle English labyl, from Middle French labile, from Late Latin labilis fleeting, transient, apt to slip, from Latin labi to slip, fall + -ilis -ile — more at sleep

1. obsolete : prone to slip, err, or lapse

2.

[French, from Middle French]

: characterized by a ready tendency toward or capability for change : changeable , unstable

an emotionally labile patient

: adaptable

has so labile a face that some of her scenes … rock with emotion — Manny Farber

3. : readily or continually undergoing chemical or physical or biological change or breakdown (as in the presence of a specified factor)

heat- labile and heat-stable antigens

the germinative plasma of the eggs is labile , producing under the influence of various conditions of nourishment different results — Auguste Lameere

labile diabetes

: fluctuating widely

labile blood pressure in hypertensives

as

a. : readily undergoing cleavage or molecular rearrangement or other chemical modification

one of the chlorine atoms is readily removed as hydrogen chloride and is termed labile or hydrolyzable chlorine — H.L.Haller & Ruth L. Busbey

acid- labile phosphate

— compare unstable

b. : characterized by shifting interchange (as of component material) without alteration in kind

labile equilibrium of a fluid

c. psychology : tending to discharge rather than to retain affect

d. geology : unstable mechanically or chemically

stable and labile minerals

a labile stratum

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.