Hypertext Webster Gateway: "elasticity"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Elasticity \E`las*tic"i*ty\, n. [Cf. F. ['e]lasticit['e].]
1. The quality of being elastic; the inherent property in
bodies by which they recover their former figure or
dimensions, after the removal of external pressure or
altering force; springiness; tendency to rebound; as, the
elasticity of caoutchouc; the elasticity of the air.
2. Power of resistance to, or recovery from, depression or
overwork.
{Coefficient of elasticity}, the quotient of a stress (of a
given kind), by the strain (of a given kind) which it
produces; -- called also {coefficient of resistance}.
{Surface of elasticity} (Geom.), the pedal surface of an
ellipsoid (see {Pedal}); a surface used in explaining the
phenomena of double refraction and their relation to the
elastic force of the luminous ether in crystalline media.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
elasticity
n : the tendency of a body to return to its original shape after
it has been stretched or compressed [ant: {inelasticity}]
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