Labile

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Labile \La"bile\, a. [L. labilis apt to slip, fr. labi to slip.]
     1. Liable to slip, err, fall, or apostatize. [Obs.] --Cheyne.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Liable or likely to change.
        [PJC]


  
     3. (Chem.) Easily decomposed or inactivated when subjected to
        heat, radiation, or mildly acidic or alkaline conditions;
        -- of chemical compounds; as, enzymes from thermophilic
        organisms are not as labile as those from mesophiles.
        [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  labile
       adj 1: open to change; liable to change; "an emotionally labile
              person"
       2: (chemistry, physics, biology) readily undergoing change or
          breakdown