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la·bile

(lābīl′, -bəl)

adj.

1. Open to change; readily changeable or unstable: labile chemical compounds; tissues with labile cell populations.

2. Fluctuating widely: labile hypertension; labile emotions.

3. Decomposing readily: the labile component of organic matter.

[Middle English labil, forgetful, wandering, from Old French labile, from Late Latin lābilis, apt to slip, from lābī, to slip.]

la·bili·ty (-bĭlĭ-tē) n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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