TERMIUM Plus®

From: Translation Bureau

On social media

Consult the Government of Canada’s terminology data bank.

INSTABLE [6 records]

Filter results by subject field Alphabetical list of terms

Filter results by subject field

Alphabetical list of terms

Record 1 2005-07-05

English

Subject field(s)
  • Analytical Chemistry
DEF

Said of [chemical species, for example] rocks and minerals, that are mechanically or chemically unstable ...

CONT

... a "labile sandstone" or "labile graywacke" containing abundant unstable fragments of rocks and minerals ...

OBS

As opposed to "stabile."

OBS

labile: The term has loosely been used to describe either a relatively "unstable" and "transient" chemical species or (less commonly) a relatively stable but reactive species. It must therefore not be used without explanation of the intended meaning, and is best avoided altogether. [Related concepts:] inert, persistent, reactive, unreactive.

PHR

Labile salts.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Chimie analytique
DEF

Se dit de ce qui est fragile, peu stable (surtout en chimie [...])

OBS

labile : Terme flou pour qualifier soit une espèce chimique «transitoire» et «instable», soit moins couramment une espèce relativement «stable» mais «réactive». On ne doit donc pas l'utiliser sans explication sur le sens qu'on lui donne. [Notions apparentées :] inerte; non réactif; réactif; persistant.

PHR

Composé labile.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Química analítica
DEF

Que tiene escasa constancia o consistencia y desaparece pronto.

Save record 1

Record 2 2004-04-30

English

Subject field(s)
  • Analytical Chemistry
DEF

Tending toward decomposition or other unwanted chemical change during normal handling or storage.

OBS

An unstable chemical in its pure state, or as commonly produced or transported, will vigorously polymerize, decompose, condense, or become self-reactive under conditions of shock, pressure, or temperature. See also Stability.

CONT

Some substances are unstable; that is, they react when heated or when they come into contact with another product. As a result, they may cause pressure build-up or increases in temperature, or they may release toxic or corrosive products.

OBS

unstable: The opposite of "stable," i.e. the chemical species concerned has a higher molar Gibbs energy than some assumed standard. The term should not be used in place of "reactive" or "transient," although more reactive or transient species are frequently also more unstable. (Very unstable chemical species tend to undergo exothermic unimolecular decompositions. Variations in the structure of the related chemical species of this kind generally affect the energy of the transition states for these decompositions less than they affect the stability of the decomposing chemical species. Low stability may therefore parallel a relatively high rate of unimolecular decomposition.)

French

Domaine(s)
  • Chimie analytique
CONT

combinaison instable : qui se décompose facilement en ses éléments.

OBS

instable : Contraire de «stable»; en d'autres termes, l'énergie de Gibbs molaire de l'espèce chimique concernée est plus élevée que celle d'une référence sous-entendue. Ce terme ne doit pas être utilisé comme synonyme de «réactif» ou de «transitoire», bien que souvent les espèces les plus réactives ou les plus éphémères soient aussi les plus instables. (Les espèces chimiques très instables ont tendance à subir des décompositions unimoléculaires exothermiques. Généralement, les variations de structure d'espèces chimiques de ce type, appartenant à une même famille, affectent moins l'énergie es états de transition de leur décomposition que leur stabilité. Dans ce contexte, une faible stabilité peut signifier que la décomposition unimoléculaire est relativement rapide).

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Química analítica
DEF

Se aplica a los compuestos químicos que se descomponen con facilidad.

Save record 2

Record 3 1998-10-30

English

Subject field(s)
  • Shipbuilding
OBS

Said of a ship which is easily inclined by external force.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Constructions navales
OBS

Se dit d'un navire qui est facilement inclinable par l'action de forces extérieures.

OBS

faible de côté; instable : termes uniformisés par le Comité de normalisation de la terminologie navale.

Spanish

Save record 3

Record 4 1987-02-03

English

Subject field(s)
  • General Vocabulary

French

Domaine(s)
  • Vocabulaire général

Spanish

Save record 4

Record 5 1984-08-14

English

Subject field(s)
  • General Vocabulary

French

Domaine(s)
  • Vocabulaire général

Spanish

Save record 5

Record 6 1975-03-11

English

Subject field(s)
  • Gas Welding
OBS

when there is an excess of acetylene the hot inner cone is -- and poorly defined.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Soudage au gaz
OBS

(...) elle [la flamme] est beaucoup moins stable que la flamme neutre et donne lieu plus facilement à des retours de flamme

Spanish

Save record 6

Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2026
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

Display options

Change the order of display of the official languages of Canada
Option to display the non-official languages (Spanish or Portuguese)
Display definitions, contexts, etc., on records

Features

GCtranslate (available on the Government of Canada network only)

Use this artificial intelligence prototype to translate Government of Canada content up to and including Protected B. Available to employees of selected departments and agencies only.

Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.

Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.

Date Modified: