adjective
volatile
Evaporating easily at ordinary temperatures.
Alcohol is volatile and evaporates quickly from an open container.
Etymology
The Latin adjective means flying. A volatile liquid seems to fly away into the air as it readily becomes vapor.
More examples
- Keep volatile solvents in tightly sealed bottles.
- The perfume's most volatile ingredients evaporate first.
- Gasoline contains volatile compounds that escape into the air as vapor.
Forms
volatile
volatility noun — Tendency of a substance to evaporate readily.
volatilize verb — To turn a substance into vapor.
Similar words
- vaporizable
- Can become vapor, but may require substantial heating.
- evaporative
- Describes evaporation or its effects, not necessarily ready evaporation.