Reconfigurability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or ability of a system or device to be rearranged or modified in structure or function for different purposes
2. The capacity for altering the setup or configuration of something to adapt to new requirements or conditions
3. The characteristic of being able to change internal components or arrangements to suit varying tasks or objectives

Etymology: Reconfigurability is a plain formation: it takes "reconfigurable" and adds the suffix "-ity", which turns an adjective describing a quality into a noun naming that quality. "Reconfigurable" itself is built from "re-", meaning again or anew, "configure", to arrange or set up the parts of something, and the adjective-forming "-able", meaning capable of being. Put together, the word names the capacity of something to be set up again in a different arrangement. The idea behind the word is most at home in computing and engineering, where a device such as a circuit or a machine can be rewired or reprogrammed to serve a new purpose without being rebuilt. The word's core sense therefore belongs to the everyday notion of flexibility: a system that can change its shape or function on demand. Its meaning is tied directly to the parts it is made from, so anyone who knows "configure" and "-able" can work out what it means without a dictionary.

Synonyms: flexibility, adaptability, modifiability

Antonyms: rigidity, inflexibility