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mo·bile (mōbəl, -bēl, -bīl)
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adj.
1.
a. Capable of moving or of being moved readily from place to place: a mobile organism; a mobile missile system.
b. Of or relating to wireless communication devices, such as cellphones.
2.
a. Capable of moving or changing quickly from one state or condition to another: a mobile, expressive face.
b. Fluid; unstable: a mobile situation following the coup.
3.
a. Marked by the easy intermixing of different social groups: a mobile community.
b. Moving relatively easily from one social class or level to another: an upwardly mobile generation.
c. Tending to travel and relocate frequently: a restless, mobile society.
4. Flowing freely; fluid: a mobile liquid.
n.
1. (mōbēl) A type of sculpture consisting of carefully equilibrated parts that move, especially in response to air currents.
2. A mobile phone.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mōbilis, from *movibilis, from movēre, to move; see meuə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.