Describing a material that increases in volume or viscosity when subjected to stress or pressure (opposite of thixotropic).
From Latin dilatans, present participle of dilatare (to spread out). The term was adapted in 20th-century physics to describe non-Newtonian fluids with unusual deformation properties.
Non-Newtonian fluids like shear-thickening polymers are dilatant, and they're used in body armor—the faster the impact, the more solid they become, protecting soldiers and police officers.
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