> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://goodoil.news/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# The BFD Word of the Day
- URL: https://goodoil.news/the-bfd-word-of-the-day-1363/
- Published: 2023-10-23T17:15:00.000Z
- Updated: 2023-08-17T19:59:52.000Z
- Author: David Theobald
- Tags: General, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-16 22:07

The word for today is…

volatile (adjective, noun):

*adjective*  
1a: characterized by or subject to rapid or unexpected change  
b: unable to hold the attention fixed because of an inherent lightness or fickleness of disposition  
2a: tending to erupt into violence : explosive  
b: easily aroused  
c: lighthearted, lively  
3: readily vaporisable at a relatively low temperature  
4: difficult to capture or hold permanently : evanescent, transitory  
5: flying or having the power to fly

*noun*  
: a substance that is readily vaporisable at relatively low temperature : a volatile substance

Source : [Merriam -Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volatile?ref=goodoil.news)

Etymology : Volatile was originally for the birds—quite literally. Back in the 14th century, the word was a noun and volatiles were birds (especially wild fowl) or other winged creatures, such as butterflies. That’s not as flighty as it sounds. Volatile traces back to the Latin verb volare, which means “to fly.” By the end of the 16th century, people were using volatile as an adjective to describe meal ground so fine and light that it could easily “fly” or be blown about. Soon after, the adjective was extended to creatures that were capable of flying (as in “volatile insects”), later to vapors and gases, and by the early 17th century, to individuals or things as prone to sudden change as some gaseous substances. In recent years, volatile has alighted in economic, political, and technical contexts far flown from its avian origins.

***If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.***