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ELASTICITY
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed
Example:
the waistband had lost its snap
Synonyms:
elasticity; snap
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("elasticity" is a kind of...):
physical property (any property used to characterize matter and energy and their interactions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "elasticity"):
resilience; resiliency (the physical property of a material that can return to its original shape or position after deformation that does not exceed its elastic limit)
bounce; bounciness (the quality of a substance that is able to rebound)
give; spring; springiness (the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length)
stretch; stretchability; stretchiness (the capacity for being stretched)
temper; toughness (the elasticity and hardness of a metal object; its ability to absorb considerable energy before cracking)
elasticity of shear (the elasticity of a body that has been pulled out of shape by a shearing force)
Antonym:
inelasticity (the lack of elasticity)
Derivation:
elastic (capable of resuming original shape after stretching or compression; springy)
Context examples:
The study involved 775 participants recruited from an Ohio children's hospital who were measured for the elasticity or distensibility of their brachial artery (BrachD), located in the upper arm.
(Too Much Salt? Unhealthy Blood Vessels Changes, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
An immunohistochemical technique to detect elastin, a polymeric protein found in the connective tissue that imparts the property of elasticity to vertebrate elastic tissue.
(Elastin Staining Method, NCI Thesaurus)
Linear polysaccharides composed of disaccharide repeating units of glycosamine-glycans, two monosaccharide units (hexosamine and the repeating disaccharide of either hexuronate or galactose) located on the surface of cells or in the extracellular matrix contributing to adhesion, elasticity, and viscosity of extracellular substances.
(Glycosaminoglycan, NCI Thesaurus)
A glucosaminoglycan consisting of D-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine disaccharide units that is a component of connective tissue, skin, vitreous humour, umbilical cord, synovial fluid and the capsule of certain microorganisms contributing to adhesion, elasticity, and viscosity of extracellular substances.
(Hyaluronic Acid, NCI Thesaurus)
During my youthful days discontent never visited my mind, and if I was ever overcome by ennui, the sight of what is beautiful in nature or the study of what is excellent and sublime in the productions of man could always interest my heart and communicate elasticity to my spirits.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
A submissive spirit might be patient, a strong understanding would supply resolution, but here was something more; here was that elasticity of mind, that disposition to be comforted, that power of turning readily from evil to good, and of finding employment which carried her out of herself, which was from nature alone.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
Once released, the PAR starts mopping up calcium into larger droplets which stick onto the components in artery walls that give the artery its elasticity, where they form ordered crystals and solidify, hardening the arteries.
(Cause of hardening of the arteries – and potential treatment – identified, University of Cambridge)
All their elasticity was departed, and I never saw them half so wretched as on this night; insomuch that when the bell rang, and Mr. Micawber walked with me to the lodge, and parted from me there with a blessing, I felt quite afraid to leave him by himself, he was so profoundly miserable.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
This versatility is obvious in biological materials like muscle and silk fibers, which are made of proteins that combine ordered and disordered regions, enabling the materials to exhibit characteristics like elasticity of rubber and the mechanical strength of steel.
(Biomaterial Artificial Protein Helps Heal Tissue, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
A chronic and progressive lung disorder characterized by the loss of elasticity of the bronchial tree and the air sacs, destruction of the air sacs wall, thickening of the bronchial wall, and mucous accumulation in the bronchial tree.
(Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NCI Thesaurus)
