adiabatic
occurring without gain or loss of heat (opposed to diabatic): an adiabatic process.
Origin of adiabatic
1Other words from adiabatic
- ad·i·a·bat·i·cal·ly, adverb
Words Nearby adiabatic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use adiabatic in a sentence
At the same time the utmost pains are taken to maintain the adiabatic condition of the metal walls.
Respiration Calorimeters for Studying the Respiratory Exchange and Energy Transformations of Man | Francis Gano Benedictadiabatic, ad-i-a-bat′ik, adj. (physics) neither losing nor gaining heat: impassable to heat.
This is the ratio of the adiabatic elasticity of air to the isothermal elasticity.
The adiabatic lines, representing a fall of temperature of 1° Fahrenheit per 183 feet of ascent, serve for comparison.
Sounding the Ocean of Air | A. Lawrence RotchThe straight dotted lines show the adiabatic decrease of temperature for ascending dry air.
Sounding the Ocean of Air | A. Lawrence Rotch
British Dictionary definitions for adiabatic
/ (ˌædɪəˈbætɪk, ˌeɪ-) /
(of a thermodynamic process) taking place without loss or gain of heat
a curve or surface on a graph representing the changes in two or more characteristics (such as pressure and volume) of a system undergoing an adiabatic process
Origin of adiabatic
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for adiabatic
[ ăd′ē-ə-băt′ĭk ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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