Euplastic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing the property of certain tissues or materials to change shape or form adaptively according to external conditions or forces
2. Characterizing the ability of living cells to adaptively modify their structure in response to environmental changes
3. Referring to the capability of biological systems to undergo alterations that allow for repair or regeneration beyond their original state

Etymology: "Euplastic" is a deliberate scientific coinage, built in English from two Greek-derived parts. The first, "eu-", comes from the Greek "eû", meaning "well" or "good", as in "euphoria" or "eulogy". The second, "plastic", traces back to the Greek "plássein", "to mould or form", which also produced the Greek adjective "plastikós", meaning fit for moulding or shaping. English took "plastic" from Latin "plasticus" before applying it to materials that can be shaped. Put together, "euplastic" describes something that is well-formed or readily shaped in a good way. In biology it names the capacity of living cells to reshape their structure when conditions around them change. Because the word is a modern technical formation from classical parts, it belongs to the scientific vocabulary of the last century and a half rather than to ancient Greek usage. Its meaning is essentially the literal sense of its parts applied to living tissue: good moulding, adapting well to new form.

Synonyms: malleable, plastic

Antonyms: brittle, inflexible