Word of the Day : September 17, 2019

labile \LAY-byle\ adjective

Definition

1 : readily or continually undergoing chemical, physical, or biological change or breakdown : unstable

2 : readily open to change

Did You Know?

We are confident that you won't slip up or err in learning today's word, despite its etymology. Labile was borrowed into English from French and can be traced back (by way of Middle French labile, meaning "prone to err") to the Latin verb labi, meaning "to slip or fall." Indeed, the first sense of labile in English was "prone to slip, err, or lapse," but that usage is now obsolete. Other labi descendants in English include collapse, elapse, and prolapse, as well as lapse itself.

Aired September 17, 2019

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