Plasticity
The quality of being easily shaped or molded; the ability to adapt or change, especially in materials science and neuroscience.
nounPlasticity
The quality of being easily shaped or molded; the ability to adapt or change, especially in materials science and neuroscience.
nounImagine This
Picture a lump of clay that never hardens; you can hammer, roll, and twist it into any form, and it remembers every shape you've given it.
Sounds Like
PLAS-ti-si-tee
Looks Like
plastic + ity
Remember This
Plasticity is a core idea in both making things and learning—neural plasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself in response to experience.
Other Forms
Connect With
malleability, pliability, adaptability, neural plasticity, elasticity
Note
Not to be confused with elasticity, where a material returns to its original shape after deformation. Plasticity implies irreversible or long-lasting change.
Study Deeper
- The clay's plasticity allowed the potter to mold it into a delicate vase.
- Neural plasticity enables the brain to form new connections after learning or injury.
From Latin plasticus 'moldable' and Greek plastikos 'able to be molded', with the suffix -ity forming the noun.
Plasticity = plastic + ity: remember that something with plasticity can be shaped and kept in its new form; think of a clay sculpture that remembers every bend.
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Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).