rigid: Meaning and Definition of

rig•id

Pronunciation: (rij'id), [key]
— adj.
  1. stiff or unyielding; not pliant or flexible; hard: a rigid strip of metal.
  2. firmly fixed or set.
  3. inflexible, strict, or severe: a rigid disciplinarian; rigid rules of social behavior.
  4. exacting; thorough; rigorous: a rigid examination.
  5. so as to meet precise standards; stringent: lenses ground to rigid specifications.
  6. of, pertaining to, or noting a body in which the distance between any pair of points remains fixed under all forces; having infinite values for its shear modulus, bulk modulus, and Young's modulus.
    1. (of an airship or dirigible) having a form maintained by a stiff, unyielding structure contained within the envelope.
    2. pertaining to a helicopter rotor that is held fixedly at its root.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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