metastable
[ met-uh-stey-buh l, met-uh-stey- ]
/ ˈmɛt əˌsteɪ bəl, ˌmɛt əˈsteɪ- /
adjective
Metallurgy.
chemically unstable in the absence of certain conditions that would induce stability, but not liable to spontaneous transformation.
OTHER WORDS FROM metastable
met·a·sta·bil·i·ty [met-uh-stuh-bil-i-tee] /ˌmɛt ə stəˈbɪl ɪ ti/, nounWords nearby metastable
Example sentences from the Web for metastable
British Dictionary definitions for metastable
metastable
/ (ˌmɛtəˈsteɪbəl) physics /
adjective
(of a body or system) having a state of apparent equilibrium although capable of changing to a more stable state
(of an atom, molecule, ion, or atomic nucleus) existing in an excited state with a relatively long lifetime
noun
a metastable atom, ion, molecule, or nucleus