Lability
[lə-BIL-ə-dee]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Middle French, 14th century
1.
Liability to change; ease of alteration.
Examples of Lability in a sentence
"The lability of children’s moods makes planning their birthday parties a challenge."
"Chloe has been surprised by the lability of her musical tastes over the years."
About Lability
“Lability” is derived from the Middle French term “labilité,” itself based on the Latin “lābilis,” meaning “apt to slip.”
Did you Know?
In its original form at the beginning of the Renaissance, the word “lability” didn’t just mean the potential for a person or thing to change. Instead, in the 16th century, “lability” measured a person’s likelihood of slipping into error, sin, irrationality, or bad behavior. By the 1700s, the term had come to mean simply “instability.” The neutral definition of “lability” (referring to transience or changeability) won out in the ensuing centuries. Today, “lability” is most often used in psychology as a term for emotional fluctuation and responsiveness.
