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elastic.

Capable of stretching; particularly, capable of stretching so as to return to an original shape or size when force is released.

7 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ɪˈlæstɪk//ə-/US, also/i-//ɪˈlɑːstɪk/UK, rare

  1. Capable of stretching; particularly, capable of stretching so as to return to an original shape or size when force is released.

    The rope is somewhat elastic, so expect it to give when you pull on it.

  2. Made of elastic.

    elastic band

  3. Of clothing, elasticated.

  4. Sensitive to changes in price.

    Demand for entertainment is more elastic than demand for energy.

  5. springy; bouncy; vivacious

  6. Pervasive, all-encompassing.

  7. Able to return quickly to a former state or condition, after being depressed or overtaxed; having power to recover easily from shocks and trials.

    elastic spirits; an elastic constitution
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁elh₂- Proto-Indo-European *h₁l̥h₂-tósder. Ancient Greek ἐλᾰστός (elăstós) Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus New Latin elasticusbor. French élastiquebor. English elastic From French élastique, from New Latin elasticus (“elastic”), from Ancient Greek ἐλαστός (elastós), alternative form of ἐλατός (elatós, “ductile”) (cf. ἐλατήρ (elatḗr, “a driver, hurler”)), from ἐλαύνω (elaúnō, “to drive, set in motion, push, strike, beat out”).

noun/ɪˈlæstɪk//ə-/US, also/i-//ɪˈlɑːstɪk/UK, rare

  1. An elastic material used in clothing, particularly in waistbands and cuffs.

    uncountable
    running shorts use elastic to eliminate the need for a belt

  2. An elastic band.

    Canada · countable

  3. Specifically, a hair tie.

    Northeastern · US · countable · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁elh₂- Proto-Indo-European *h₁l̥h₂-tósder. Ancient Greek ἐλᾰστός (elăstós) Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus New Latin elasticusbor. French élastiquebor. English elastic From French élastique, from New Latin elasticus (“elastic”), from Ancient Greek ἐλαστός (elastós), alternative form of ἐλατός (elatós, “ductile”) (cf. ἐλατήρ (elatḗr, “a driver, hurler”)), from ἐλαύνω (elaúnō, “to drive, set in motion, push, strike, beat out”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.