malleable
MAL-ee-uh-buhl
/ˈmæl.i.ə.bəl/
Capable of being hammered, rolled, or pressed into thin sheets without cracking; easily influenced or adaptable.
Malleability strictly refers to deformation under compressive stress (hammering or pounding), distinct from ductility which is resistance under tensile stress (stretching).
The story behind the word. Malleable comes directly from Medieval Latin 'malleabilis,' derived from 'malleus,' the Latin word for a hammer or mallet. A malleable material is literally one that can be hammered.
Word relationships
- pliable: Pliable means easily bent without breaking, whereas malleable specifically implies capacity to be hammered flat or reshaped.
- brittle: Brittle materials shatter easily when struck, unlike malleable materials which yield and flatten.
Commonly confused with
- ductile: Malleable means flattened by hammering (compression), while ductile means stretched into wire (tension).
Word family
- malleability (noun): The quality of being easily hammered or shaped
- malleably (adverb): In a malleable manner
Collocations
- malleable metal
- malleable iron
- malleable personality
- highly malleable
Example sentences
- "Gold is the most malleable metal known; a single gram can be hammered into a sheet covering one square meter." Metallurgy
- "Young minds are remarkably malleable, absorbing attitudes and habits from their immediate surroundings." Psychology/Education
Memory hook
MALLEABLE starts like MALLET: if you hit it with a mallet, it flattens without breaking. Mallet-friendly metal.
When not to use
Do not use for materials that stretch into wire under tension without hammering; use 'ductile' instead.
Fun facts
- Gold leaf can be hammered down to a thickness of just 0.0001 millimeters—so thin that light can pass through it!
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