Main Entry: per·mit·tiv·i·ty

Pronunciation: \ˌpər-ˌmi-ˈti-və-tē, -mə-\

Function: noun

Etymology: ¹permit + -ivity (as in selectivity)

Date: 1887

: the ability of a material to store electrical potential energy under the influence of an electric field measured by the ratio of the capacitance of a capacitor with the material as dielectric to its capacitance with vacuum as dielectric —called also dielectric constant