ductility

[ duhk-til-i-tee ]

noun

1. the capacity to undergo a change of physical form without breaking; malleability or flexibility:

   High ductility and very low hardness made gold easy to work using primitive techniques.

Other Words From

• non·duc·til·i·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ductility¹

ductil(e) ( def ) + -ity ( def )

Example Sentences

Some older brick buildings in California can be dangerous because they don’t have a lot of ductility — the ability of a material to have its shape changed without breaking, said Patti Harburg-Petrich, a past president of the Structural Engineers Assn. of Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times

Modern buildings are designed with a similar idea: “Buildings are designed with ductility to absorb that energy from the earthquake to keep people safe, so that they can safely exit the building.”

From Los Angeles Times

But older brick buildings “don’t necessarily have a lot of ductility because they’re constructed from brittle materials,” she added, and lack reinforcement like steel that can help provide that flexibility.

From Los Angeles Times

Ductility and flexibility are also crucial, points out Michael Norman, director of the Quantum Institute at Argonne National Laboratory: if you can’t easily stretch LK-99 into a wire, then using it in turbines, transmission lines or fusion reactors becomes much more challenging.

From Scientific American

Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, and ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied.

From Literature