Ductiform

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being elongated or shaped without risk of breaking
2. Able to be stretched or formed without cracking or snapping
3. Describing a material that can be drawn out or shaped while maintaining integrity

Etymology: "Ductiform" is a plain technical formation: it joins "duct," a word for a channel or tube, to the combining element "-iform," meaning "having the form or shape of." Put together, the term describes something shaped like a duct, though in this sense it is used in the wider world of materials to name a quality of ductility, the capacity of a substance to be drawn out or stretched. The "-iform" ending comes from Latin "-iformis," itself built from "forma," shape, and it is a common building block in scientific and technical English. Words like "filiform" (thread-shaped) and "vermiform" (worm-shaped) follow the same pattern, so a reader who knows those can read "ductiform" at a glance.

Synonyms: malleable, flexible