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The History of Volatile Is for the Birds
Volatile was originally for the birds—quite literally. Back in the 14th century, the word was a noun and volatiles were birds (especially wild fowl) or other winged creatures, such as butterflies. That's not as flighty as it sounds. Volatile traces back to the Latin verb volare, which means “to fly.” By the end of the 16th century, people were using volatile as an adjective to describe meal ground so fine and light that it could easily “fly” or be blown about. Soon after, the adjective was extended to creatures that were capable of flying (as in “volatile insects”), later to vapors and gases, and by the early 17th century, to individuals or things as prone to sudden change as some gaseous substances. In recent years, volatile has alighted in economic, political, and technical contexts far flown from its avian origins.
Synonyms
Examples of volatile in a Sentence
John W. Rogers, Jr., Forbes, 25 May 2009
Usually, only a few of the volatile chemicals in a fragrance are obviously noticeable to human noses.
—Ivan Amato, Science News, 24 Sept. 2005
VOCs (or volatile organic compounds) are thought to be among the potential culprits behind illnesses often lumped under the heading of Sick Building Syndrome.
—Scott Schilling, This Old House, March 2005
… it was Elvis who represented rock and roll at its unblushing, volatile best; he was its first master and the embodiment of every reason that adolescents of the postwar years turned to it in favor of the cheerfully torpid pop music … to which their parents were listening.
—David Hajdu, New York Review of Books, 9 Oct. 2003
When left unused, make-up has a tendency to dry out because any water or other volatile substances it contains evaporate.
—Barry Fox, New Scientist, 9 Aug. 2003
The stock market can be very volatile.
She is a volatile woman.
The protests are increasing, creating a volatile situation in the capital.
Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
However, the data has shown that underlying inflation (stripping out volatile components like energy and food) has slowed slightly.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, Moon’s eldest son and heir apparent, Hyo Jin, was known as volatile with a penchant for drink, drugs, and random violence.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Elsewhere in Rebel Rising, Wilson writes about waiting to lose her virginity until age 35, her complicated relationship with her volatile father and her experience working with Sacha Baron Cohen.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Bloomberg made similar connections between Musk’s dwindling reputation and Tesla’s volatile stock price over a year ago.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 3 Apr. 2024
Last week, the United Nations said that the situation in metropolitan Port-au-Prince remains intense and volatile.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2024
But House Republicans have been hawkish in recent months about government spending, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) may face a rift in his volatile conference about whether and how to move support legislation for Baltimore.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
What should be a one-time job and payout turns into a tumultuous alliance with the volatile Tongai family that puts Gray and his family in harm’s way.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 31 Mar. 2024
Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
There is a fear that a larger explosion is in the works as the volcano is showing significant deformation that might imply volatiles building up in the edifice - a precursor to an explosive eruption.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2019
Because of the high pressure and temperature conditions at those depths, the minerals will break down and the volatiles will come out in a very special form: a hybrid between a liquid and a gas, which is known as a supercritical fluid or a melt.
—Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2024
All the while, the breeders have been using hole punches to collect bits of leaves and analyze the plants' DNA, looking for genetic patterns that correspond to high levels of volatiles, for instance, or flawless skin.
—Ferris Jabr, Scientific American, 1 June 2015
This robotic mission is designed to search for volatiles, which are molecules that easily vaporize, like water and carbon dioxide, at lunar temperatures.
—Ali M. Bramson, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2023
Previous studies determined that Mercury’s surface contained volatiles, elements such as sulfur, chlorine and potassium, which can help create conditions for life.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 10 Dec. 2023
For example, heat stress, extreme weather, and droughts cause plants to release more biogenic volatiles—which seed more clouds.
—WIRED, 29 Sep. 2023
If a tomato had average to high sugar levels but no volatiles, volunteers did not perceive it as sweet.
—Ferris Jabr, Scientific American, 1 June 2015
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'volatile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near volatile
Cite this Entry
“Volatile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volatile. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
volatile
1 of 2 nounvolatile
2 of 2 adjective
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