Volatility

How to spell volatility

10 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce volatility

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does volatility mean?

1. nounThe tendency to change quickly and unpredictably, especially in prices, conditions, or moods.
2. nounThe readiness of a substance to evaporate at normal temperatures.

Volatility in a sentence

• The recent volatility of the stock market wiped out many savings.

• The high volatility of the solvent means the bottle must be sealed tightly.

• Traders hedge against currency volatility to protect their margins.

• Petrol is stored carefully because of its volatility and flammable vapour.

Where does volatility come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb volare, meaning 'to fly', which produced the adjective volatilis for things that are 'flying' or 'fleeting'. In late Latin and early scientific use the idea narrowed to substances that readily 'fly off' into vapour, which is why chemists still speak of volatile liquids. English took the adjective 'volatile' through French in the seventeenth century, originally for birds and winged creatures, and then for evaporating substances. The abstract noun 'volatility' followed, naming the quality of being changeable or quick to evaporate, and from there it spread to markets and moods that shift unpredictably. The same root that gave us flight also gives us the spelling trap: the unstressed middle syllables collapse into a faint 'uh-TIL-uh-tee', so writers must remember the single l and the -ility ending.

How the word is built

• volat- (from Latin volare: to fly)
• -il- (-ile, tending to)
• -ity (noun of quality)