Volatilis

Volatilis is a Latin adjective meaning “flying” or “capable of flight,” and by extension in scientific contexts “volatile” or “easily vaporized.” The term stems from the verb volare, “to fly,” and appears in Latin descriptions used in older and contemporary scholarly works. In modern usage, the root gives rise to related English terms such as volatility and volatile.

In taxonomy, volatilis is commonly found as a descriptive epithet in species names. When used in a binomial, it signals a trait associated with flight, dispersal, or other flight-related characteristics, rather than implying a single taxonomic group. As with many Latin adjectives in species names, the specific meaning of volatilis depends on the context of the genus and the author’s descriptive intent.

In chemistry and materials science, volatilis relates to volatility, the tendency of a substance to vaporize. Substances described as volatile typically have higher vapor pressures at given temperatures, influencing how they are handled, stored, and analyzed. The adjective appears in older Latin-language texts and in modern scientific writing when describing vaporization-related properties or when labeling samples and compounds in a classical style.

Overall, volatilis functions as a descriptive term across disciplines, linked by the common idea of flight or vaporization. The English cognate volatility reflects the same Latin root, and many scientific terms trace back to volatilis in some form.