Definitions for "Polarizability"
Indication of the ease of distortion of an electron cloud around at atom.Large atoms (like iodine) have many electrons, and their location may easily shift, producing regions of partial positive and negative charge.The larger the atom, the greater the polarizability, or the more easily an electron cloud may be distorted.
Polarizability is the relative tendency of a charge distribution, like the electron cloud of an atom or molecule, to be distorted from its normal shape by an external electric field, which may be caused by the presence of a nearby ion or dipole.