sb. and a. Forms: 4, 7–8 volatil, 5 -tille, 6–7 -till, 7 -tle; 4– volatile (4 -tyle). [a. OF. and F. volatil, -ile (= Sp. and Pg. volatil, It. volatile), or ad. L. volātilis (also late L. volātile sb.), f. volāt-, ppl. stem of volāre to fly.]
A. sb. † 1. collect. Birds, esp. wild-fowl. Obs. (So OF. volatil.)
a. 1300. Cursor M., 6386. Volatil sent þaim þat king.
13[?]. Coer de L., 4225. Off … Partryhches, plovers, and heroun, Off larkes, and smale volatyle.
1382. Wyclif, Gen. vii. 14. Al that moueth vpon the erthe in his kynde, and al volatile after his kynde.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 4637. Of all þe frutis on þe fold we fange at oure will, Bath venyson & volatile & variand fisches.
c. 1475. Promp. Parv., 512/1 (K.), Volatile, wyld fowle,… volatile.
1501. Douglas, Pal. Hon., III. xv. To noy the small the greit beistis had na will, Nor rauenous foulis the lytill volatill.
1572. Satir. Poems Reform., xxxviii. 36. As the fals fowler … Deuoiris the pure volatill he wylis to the net.
a. 1660. Contemp. Hist. Irel. (Ir. Archæol. Soc.), I. 164. Espiing that greate mortalitie not yett interred, disfigured by volatle and other wilde beastes.
2. A winged creature; a bird, butterfly or the like; a fowl. Usually in plural.
a. 1325. Prose Psalter, lxxvii. 31 [lxxviii. 27]. He rained vp hem pudre, flesshes, and volatils feþered as grauel of þe se.
1382. Wyclif, Matt. xxii. 4. I haue made redy my mete, my boles and volatilis ben slayn.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XII. v. (Bodl. MS.). Alle oþer volatiles bringeþ forþe burþe vnneþe in a ȝeere.
1632. Guillim, Heraldry (ed. 2), III. xxi. 234. No lesse than other Volatiles, or flying Animals.
1651. Biggs, New Disp., ¶ 294. Nor is a volatile contrary to a Reptile.
1666. J. Davies, trans. Rochefort’s Caribby Isles, 230. As to the Volatiles of this Country, there are Turkeys, Pintadoes, Parrots, Woodquists.
1716. Phil. Trans., XXIX. 530. That the Tongue of this Volatile was much commended … will appear from the following Quotations.
1750. G. Hughes, Barbados, 61. By Animals I would be understood to mean … such only as are generally termed Quadrupeds, Volatiles, and Insects.
1819. H. Busk, Vestriad, II. 390. From that first ball where Orpheus, first of lutes, Drew reptiles, volatiles, pantiles, and brutes.
c. 1876. R. F. Burton, in Lady I. Burton, Life (1893), I. iii. 40. A dove not being procurable, its place was supplied by a turkey-cock, and the awful gabbling of the ill-behaved volatile caused much more merriment than was decorous.
3. A volatile matter or substance.
1686. W. Harris, trans. Lemery’s Chym., I. xvii. (ed. 3), 408. These volatiles ought to be taken always in some cold liquor and not in hot broth.
1709. T. Robinson, Vind. Mosaick Syst., 16. The Earth … was only a confus’d Mass of Matter, consisting of Solids, Fluids, and Volatiles, all jumbled together.
1748. Hartley, Observ. Man, I. ii. § 7. 248. Applying Volatiles to the Nose.
1782. E. Gray, in Med. Comm., I. 33. Volatiles … which had been given … in order to encourage perspiration.
1810. S. Green, Reformist, II. 2. The excessive heat of the place … rendered the use of volatiles … requisite to the delicate fair ones who composed this religious group.
1840. L. Hunt, Legend Florence, II. ii. Applying a volatile to her temples.
1883. Times, 6 June, 5/2. The machine is filled with a volatile the fumes of which cause instantaneous death.
B. adj. † 1. Of meal: So fine or light as readily to fly about. Obs.
1597. A. M., trans. Guillemeau’s Fr. Chirurg., 46/2. An astringent Plaster, made of Bolus, flower, or volatill meale, of whytes of Egges [etc.]. Ibid. (1599), Gabelhouer’s Bk. Physicke, 54/1. Sift them till they resemble volatile meale.
2. Flying, capable of flying, volant.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 728. The Catterpiller toward the End of Summer waxeth Volatile, and turneth to a Butterflie, or perhaps some other Fly.
1653. H. Cogan, Diodorus Siculus, 94. It produceth likewise all kinde of creatures both terrestrial and volatile, greater and stronger then other regions.
a. 1676. Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., IV. ii. (1677), 304. The production of Animals aquatil and volatil preceded the production of terrestrial Animals.
1719. J. T. Philipps, trans. Thirty-four Confer., 308. Their Souls will be re-committed into Bodies two-footed, four-footed, or volatile.
1786. trans. Beckford’s Vathek (1868), 64. One of those beautiful blue butterflies of Cashmere, which are at once so volatile and rare.
1825. Hone, Every-day Bk., I. 292. Pheasants by all that’s volatile!
1865. Athenæum, 21 Oct., 535/1. Conveyed by some volatile insect.
transf. 1796. H. Hunter, trans. St. Pierre’s Stud. Nat. (1799), II. 135. The seeds of the largest mountain-trees are no less volatile. That of the maple has two membranous pinions similar to the wings of a fly.
1812. J. Cutler, Descr. Ohio, 81. The cotton wood tree … has been supposed to be the same as the lombardy poplar, but … differs, at least, in the very large quantity of volatile, capillary pappus attached to the seeds.
b. Moving or flitting from one place to another, esp. with some degree of rapidity.
1654. Vilvain, Epit. Ess., V. lii. Two Meteors, Thunder and Lightning volatil.
1660. Jer. Taylor, Ductor, I. iii. rule 1 § 5. It is like a fire-stick which in the hand of a child being gently mov’d, gives a volatile and unfixed light.
1856. N. Brit. Rev., XXVI. 169. M. De la Hire … describes these muscæ as of two kinds, some permanent and fixed,… and others as volatile, or flying about and changing their place, even though the eye be fixed.
c. Characterized by rapid passage. rare–1.
1655. Marrow Complements, 8. With volatile haste let us set forward to the temple.
3. Of substances: Characterized by a natural tendency to dispersion in fumes or vapor; liable to, or susceptible of, evaporation and diffusion, at ordinary temperatures.
1605. Timme, Quersit., Ded. Of which foure elements two are … volatil, as water and ayre.
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., II. iii. Infuse vinegar, To draw his volatile substance and his tincture.
1656. J. Smith, Pract. Physick, 252. Nitre is commended because it fixeth volatil things.
1671. J. Webster, Metallogr., iv. 74. Sulphur is fixt and not volatile.
1708. J. Philips, Cyder, I. 21. How with heavy Bulk Volatile Hermes, fluid and unmoist, Mounts on the Wings of Air.
1764. Reid, Inquiry, ii. § 1. These volatile particles do probably repel each other.
1789. W. Buchan, Dom. Med. (1790), 437. A bit of sugar dipped in compound spirits of lavender, or the volatile aromatic tincture.
1813. Sir H. Davy, Agric. Chem., i. (1814), 6. As soon as dung begins to decompose it throws off its volatile parts.
1854. Ronalds & Richardson, Chem. Technol. (ed. 2), I. 49. The volatile or organic portion of coal is composed of the same elements as wood, peat and brown coal.
1876. Routledge, Discov., 28. This preliminary treatment removes all the volatile matters, expelling the whole of the carbonic acid.
transf. 1769. E. Bancroft, Guiana, 234. They afford a very strong, volatile, disagreeable smell.
b. Volatile salt or salts.
1639. G. Plattes, Discov. Subterr. Treas., 39. The fixed salt of any vegetable is different from the volatill or fugitive salt of the same.
1662. R. Mathew, Unl. Alch., 20. Thy Salt doth also consist of three sorts, a fixed Salt, and a Nitrous, and a Volatil.
1670. W. Simpson, Hydrol. Ess., 30. The neatness and novelty of the word volatile salt.
1712. trans. Pomet’s Hist. Drugs, I. 4. It affords a great deal of volatile Salt.
1765. Sterne, Tr. Shandy, VII. ii. The nervous juices, with the fix’d and volatile salts, are all jumbled into one mass!
1813. J. Thomson, Lect. Inflam., 95. After smelling to volatile salts, or eating too much strong mustard,… a pain is often felt above the eye-brows.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev., I. I. iii. Few are so happy as the Duke d’Orleans and the Prince de Condé; who can themselves, with volatile salts, attend the King’s antechamber.
ellipt. 1683. J. Reid, Scots Gardiner (1756), 80. Some have sown it [sc. salt] on moist muirish land to great advantage, for being far from the sun they have little volatile.
c. Volatile alkali, ammonia. (See ALKALI 3.) Hence Volatile-alkaline adj.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Alkali, No body hath hitherto produced a volatile Alkaly from the Acids of the Mineral Kingdom.
1766. Phil. Trans., LVI. 98. The tincture produced did not effervesce with acids, but retained a volatile-alkaline smell.
1800. Henry, Epit. Chem. (1808), 121. Carbonate of ammonia retains, in a considerable degree, the pungent smell of the pure volatile alkali.
1854. J. Scoffern, in Orr’s Circ. Sci., Chem., 327. Ammonia was formerly denominated the volatile alkali.
d. Volatile oil: (see ESSENTIAL 5 b.).
1800. trans. Lagrange’s Chem., II. 229. Volatile oils are distinguished from the fixed oils by their acrid taste, their volatility, their aromatic odour, and their solubility in alcohol.
1836–41. Brande, Man. Chem. (ed. 5), 1143. The volatile or essential oils are generally obtained by distilling the vegetables, or the parts of the plants which afford them, with water, in common stills.
1880. Haughton, Phys. Geogr., vi. 301. Its flora is characterized by bulbous plants and those yielding volatile oils.
e. Connected with volatilization.
1807. T. Thomson, Chem. (ed. 3), II. 403. The inside of the volatile tube is coated with charcoal in the state of a fine black.
4. Readily changing from one interest or mood to another; changeable, fickle; marked or characterized by levity or flightiness: a. Of the mind, disposition, etc.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., IV. § 146. If the Volatile, and Unquiet Spirit of the Lord Digby had not prevailed with the King.
1665. Glanvill, Scepsis Sci., xiv. 81. If we consider the volatile nature of those officious assistants, and the several causes which occur … to scatter and disorder them.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, II. (Globe), 330. The French … Temper is allow’d to be more volatile,… and their Spirits more fluid than in other Nations.
1759. Johnson, Idler, No. 58, ¶ 3. Sometimes occasions will be wanting to tempt the mind, however volatile, to sallies and excursions.
1796. Mme. D’Arblay, Camilla, I. 115. Her spirits were volatile, but her heart was tender.
c. 1850. Arab. Nts. (Rtldg.), 527. Neither kindness nor the fear of punishment was able to restrain his volatile and restless disposition.
1861. Ld. Brougham, Brit. Const., App. 461. The fickle, inconstant, volatile temper of the people.
b. Of persons.
1719. Vanbrugh, in Athenæum (1890), 6 Sept., 322/1. To think, that such a volatile gentleman … shou’d turn his thoughts & application to the duty of a Surveyors business, is a monstruous project.
1745. J. Mason, Self-Knowledge, III. i. (1853), 167. What is it, but a Want of Self-Knowledge and Self-Government, that makes us so unsettled and volatile in our Dispositions?
1791. Boswell, Johnson, an. 1769 (1816), II. 108. I was volatile enough to repeat to him a little epigrammatick song of mine.
1830. D’Israeli, Chas. I., III. vii. 129. Henrietta was nothing more than a volatile woman.
1852. Mrs. Stowe, Uncle Tom’s C., xxvii. Volatile, fickle, and childish as they generally were, they were soft-hearted and full of feeling.
1878. Bosw. Smith, Carthage, 55. Either of these stories … may among a people so volatile as the Carthaginians, perhaps be true.
ellipt. 1756. C. Smart, trans. Horace, Epist., I. xviii. (1826), II. 259. The melancholy hate the merry,… the volatile dislike the sedate.
5. Evanescent, transient; readily vanishing or disappearing; difficult to seize, retain or fix permanently.
1665. Jer. Taylor, Unum Necess., v. 86. Those transient acts of devotion, or other volatile and fugitive instances of Repentance, are not the proper and proportion’d remedy to the evil of vicious habits.
1661. K. W., Conf. Charac. (1860), 58. I cannot give a more substantiall expression to such a violatile subject.
1686. Horneck, Crucif. Jesus, xvii. 499. Will you prefer a few airy, volatile joys before their safety?
1711. Shaftesb., Charac., III. 234. Whatever Interpretations might have been made of this fragil and volatil Scripture.
1756. Burke, Subl. & B., Introd. This delicate and aërial faculty, which seems too volatile to endure even the chains of a definition.
1791. Boswell, Johnson, Introd. (1816), I. 9. The incidents which give excellence to biography are of a volatile and evanescent kind.
1844. Kinglake, Eöthen, i. In the Ottoman dominions … wealth … is a highly volatile blessing, not easily transmitted. Ibid. (1863), Crimea (1877), I. xiv. 239. He was a buyer and seller of those fractional and volatile interests in trading adventures which go by the name of ‘shares.’
1876. Mozley, Univ. Serm., xi. 214. These are … mere volatile day dreams.
† 6. Of the air: Light; not oppressive. Obs.–1
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 328. The Air is Serene and Volatile, which is highly serviceable to the Respiration of all Living Creatures.
