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