Daily Almanac for
Nov 27, 2009
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e•las•tic



Pronunciation: (i-las'tik), [key]
—adj.
1. capable of returning to its original length, shape, etc., after being stretched, deformed, compressed, or expanded: an elastic waistband; elastic fiber.
2. spontaneously expansive, as gases.
3. flexible; accommodating; adaptable; tolerant: elastic rules and regulations.
4. springing back or rebounding; springy: He walks with an elastic step.
5. readily recovering from depression or exhaustion; buoyant: an elastic temperament.
6. Econ.relatively responsive to change, as to a proportionate increase in demand as the result of a decrease in price. Cf. inelastic (def. 2).
7. Physics.of, pertaining to, or noting a body having the property of elasticity.

—n.
1. webbing, or material in the form of a band, made elastic, as with strips of rubber.
2. something made from this material, as a garter.
3. See rubber band.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

elastaseelastic clause
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