albedo - Definitions from Dictionary.com

6 results for: albedo

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

al·be·do

Audio Help [al-bee-doh] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -dos.

1.	Astronomy. the ratio of the light reflected by a planet or satellite to that received by it.

2.	Meteorology. such a ratio for any part of the earth's surface or atmosphere.

3.	the white, inner rind of a citrus fruit.

[Origin: 1855–60; < LL albédō whiteness, equiv. to alb(us) white + -édō n. suffix; cf. torpedo

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
albedo

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

al·be·do Audio Help (āl-bē'dō) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. al·be·dos

The fraction of incident electromagnetic radiation reflected by a surface, especially of a celestial body.
The spongy white tissue on the inside of the rind of citrus fruit.

[Late Latin albēdō, whiteness, from Latin albus, white; see albho- in Indo-European roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
albedo

"ratio of light reflected from a surface," 1859, from L., lit. "whiteness," from albus "white" (see alb).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

albedo
noun
the ratio of reflected to incident light

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

albedo Audio Help (āl-bē'dō) Pronunciation Key
The fraction of the total light striking a surface that gets reflected from that surface. An object that has a high albedo (near 1) is very bright; an object that has a low albedo (near 0) is dark. The Earth's albedo is about 0.37. The Moon's is about 0.12.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Albedo

Al*be"do\, n. [L., fr. albus white.] Whiteness. Specifically: (Astron.) The ratio which the light reflected from an unpolished surface bears to the total light falling upon that surface.

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