Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913
Elasticity
E′las·tic′i·ty (ē′lăs·tĭs′ĭ·ty̆), n. [Cf. F. élasticité.] 1. The quality of being elastic; the inherent property in bodies by which they recover their former figure or dimensions, after the removal of external pressure or altering force; springiness; tendency to rebound; as, the elasticity of caoutchouc; the elasticity of the air.
2. Power of resistance to, or recovery from, depression or overwork.
Coefficient of elasticity, the quotient of a stress (of a given kind), by the strain (of a given kind) which it produces; — called also coefficient of resistance. — Surface of elasticity (Geom.), the pedal surface of an ellipsoid (see Pedal); a surface used in explaining the phenomena of double refraction and their relation to the elastic force of the luminous ether in crystalline media.