Flexibility

How to spell flexibility

11 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce flexibility

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does flexibility mean?

1. nounThe quality of being able to bend, adapt, or change easily to suit new conditions.

Flexibility in a sentence

• The new contract offers more flexibility over working hours.

• Regular stretching improves the flexibility of your muscles and joints.

Where does flexibility come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb flectere, which meant literally 'to bend' or 'to curve'. From that verb Latin formed the adjective flexibilis, meaning 'capable of being bent', and on that base the abstract noun flexibilitas, 'the quality of bending easily'. English took the word in through French during the 1600s, keeping both the literal sense of a material that bends and a figurative sense of a person or plan that adapts readily. The same flectere root sits behind a whole family of English words, including 'reflect' (to bend back), 'deflect' (to bend away), and 'flexible' itself. Remembering that the heart of the word is flex, with the suffix -ibility tacked on, helps explain the easily forgotten i before the final -ty.

How the word is built

• flex (from Latin flectere: to bend)
• -ibil- (able to be)
• -ity (noun-forming suffix: quality of)