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buoyancy

 - 3 dictionary results

buoy⋅an⋅cy

[boi-uhn-see, boo-yuhn-see]
–noun
1. the power to float or rise in a fluid; relative lightness.
2. the power of supporting a body so that it floats; upward pressure exerted by the fluid in which a body is immersed.
3. lightness or resilience of spirit; cheerfulness.
Also, buoyance.


Origin:
1705–15; buoy(ant) + -ancy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To buoyancy
buoy·an·cy   (boi'ən-sē, bōō'yən-)   
n.  
    1. The tendency or capacity to remain afloat in a liquid or rise in air or gas.

    2. The upward force that a fluid exerts on an object less dense than itself.

  1. Ability to recover quickly from setbacks; resilience.

  2. Lightness of spirit; cheerfulness.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

buoyancy

The force that causes objects to float. According to the principle of Archimedes, when a solid is placed in a fluid (a liquid or a gas), it is subject to an upward force equal in magnitude to the weight of the fluid it has displaced.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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