So can an often angry person be called -gassy?vol·a·tile (vŏl'ə-tl, -tīl')
adj.
Chemistry.
Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.
That can be readily vaporized.
Tending to vary often or widely, as in price: the ups and downs of volatile stocks.
Inconstant; fickle: a flirt's volatile affections.
Lighthearted; flighty: in a volatile mood.
Ephemeral; fleeting.
Tending to violence; explosive: a volatile situation with troops and rioters eager for a confrontation.
Flying or capable of flying; volant.
[French, from Old French, from Latin volātilis, flying, from volātus, past participle of volāre, to fly.]
vol'a·tile n.
vol'a·til'i·ty (-tĭl'ĭ-tē) or vol'a·tile·ness (-tl-nĭs, -tīl'-) n.
Thesaurus
volatile
adjective
Following no predictable pattern: capricious, changeable, erratic, fantastic, fantastical, fickle, freakish, inconsistent, inconstant, mercurial, temperamental, ticklish, uncertain, unpredictable, unstable, unsteady, variable, whimsical. See change/persist, continue/stop/pause.
Technology
volatile
With regard to computer memory, it means "temporary" and not "highly changeable," which is the usual meaning of the word. See volatile memory.
Medical
vol·a·tile (vŏl'ə-tl, -tīl')
adj.
Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures.
That can be readily vaporized.
Tending to violence; explosive, as of behavior.
Wine Glossary
volatile
A tasting term for wine with the sharp vinegary taste that comes from spoilage or imbalance due to excessive volatile acidity.
WordNet
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun volatile has one meaning:
Meaning #1: a volatile substance; a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor
The adjective volatile has 4 meanings:
Meaning #1: (chemistry) evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures
Antonym: nonvolatile (meaning #1)
Meaning #2: liable to lead to sudden change or violence
Synonym: explosive
Meaning #3: marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments
Synonym: fickle
Meaning #4: tending to vary often or widely
Translations
Translations for: Volatile
Nederlands (Dutch)
vluchtig, vervliegend, explosief (figuurlijk), voorbijgaand, levendig, makkelijk opgewekt, wispelturig, veranderlijk, vervliegende stof
Français (French)
volatil
Deutsch (German)
adj. - flüchtig, volatil, unbeständig, sprunghaft
n. - Flüchtigkeit
Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. (χημ.) πτητικός, ευκολοεξάτμιστος, επιπόλαιος, ασταθής, ευμετάβλητος
Italiano (Italian)
volatile
Português (Portuguese)
adj. - volátil, passageiro
Русский (Russian)
летучий, непостоянный, веселый, критический
Español (Spanish)
adj. - volátil, fugaz, explosivo
n. - volátil
Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - flyktig, livlig, ombytlig
http://www.answers.com/topic/volatile
Katy