Elastically

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that showcases flexibility and resilience when subjected to stress or strain
2. In a way that allows something to stretch and return to its original shape without damage
3. Characterized by the ability to bend or extend without breaking or permanently deforming

Etymology: Elastically is an adverb built from "elastic" and the suffix "-ally," and the -ally ending comes from Old English "-līċe," a suffix that turned adjectives into adverbs and is related to "like." So the word is an adjective with an adverbial ending attached, nothing more elaborate than that. The adjective "elastic" has a Greek ancestry. Ancient Greek "elaunein" meant "to drive" or "to set in motion," and from it came "elastos," meaning "driven" or "propulsive." Scholars later used Latin-style forms of this root to coin "elasticus" in New Latin, a learned term for a property of springing back. French took up "élastique," and English borrowed the adjective from there. The sense of springing back to shape is the core of the word. Stretching a rubber band elastically means it returns to its original length, and the same idea extends to people, such as a mind that adapts quickly, or to markets that bounce back after a shock.

Synonyms: flexibly, resiliently, stretchily, adaptively, pliantly

Antonyms: rigidly, stiffly, inflexibly, unadaptably, unyieldingly