[ad-ee-uh-bat-ik, ey-dahy-uh-] 
| occurring without gain or loss of heat (opposed to diabatic ): an adiabatic process. |
| ad·i·a·bat·ic (ād'ē-ə-bāt'ĭk, ā'dī-ə-) adj. Of, relating to, or being a reversible thermodynamic process that occurs without gain or loss of heat and without a change in entropy. [From Greek adiabatos, impassable : a-, not; see a-1 + diabatos, passable (dia-, dia- + batos, passable from bainein, to go; see gwā- in Indo-European roots).] ad'i·a·bat'i·cal·ly adv. |
| adiabatic (ād'ē-ə-bāt'ĭk) Pronunciation Key
Occurring without gain or loss of heat. When a gas is compressed under adiabatic conditions, its pressure increases and its temperature rises without the gain or loss of any heat. Conversely, when a gas expands under adiabatic conditions, its pressure and temperature both decrease without the gain or loss of heat. The adiabatic cooling of air as it rises in the atmosphere is the main cause of cloud formation. |
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