The ability of a material to stretch without breaking is commonly defined as:

The correct answer is elasticity, which refers to the ability of a material to deform under stress and return to its original shape once the stress is removed. This property is crucial in understanding how materials behave when forces are applied to them. Elastic materials can stretch to a point without permanently deforming or breaking, making them ideal for applications that require flexibility and resilience.

Elasticity is quantitatively defined by the material's elastic limit, which is the maximum stress that a material can withstand while still being able to return to its original shape. Beyond this limit, materials may undergo plastic deformation, where they do not return to their original form.

Strain refers to the deformation of a material caused by stress, but it does not specifically relate to the ability to stretch without breaking. Tensile strength is the maximum amount of tensile (pulling) stress that a material can withstand before failing, and while it is related to elasticity, it is focused on the failure point rather than the stretching ability. The fatigue limit is the maximum stress a material can endure for an infinite number of cycles without failure, which addresses a different aspect of material performance over time.

Overall, elasticity is the most appropriate term when discussing a material's ability to stretch without breaking, emphasizing its capacity to return