convection

con·vec·tion   (kən-věk'shən)    (click for larger image in new window) n.   The act or process of conveying; transmission. Physics Heat transfer in a gas or liquid by the circulation of currents from one region to another. Fluid motion caused by an external force such as gravity. Meteorology The transfer of heat or other atmospheric properties by massive motion within the atmosphere, especially by such motion directed upward. [Late Latin convectiō, convectiōn-, from convectus, past participle of convehere, to carry together : Latin com-, com- + Latin vehere, to carry; see wegh- in Indo-European roots.] con·vec'tion·al adj., con·vec'tive adj., con·vec'tive·ly adv.

convection

The motion of warm material that rises, cools off, and sinks again, producing a continuous circulation of material and transfer of heat. Some examples of processes involving convection are boiling water, in which heat is transferred from the stove to the air; the circulation of the atmosphere of the Earth, transferring heat from the equator to the North Pole and South Pole; and plate tectonics, in which heat is transferred from the interior of the Earth to its surface.

convection 

Main Entry: con·vec·tion
Pronunciation: k&n-'vek-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : the circulatory motion that occurs in a fluid at anonuniform temperature owing to the variation of its density and the action of gravity
2 : the transfer of heat by convection in a fluid —con·vec·tion·al /-shn&l, -sh&n-^&l/ adjective —con·vec·tive /-'vek-tiv/ adjective

convection con·vec·tion (kən-věk'shən)
n.

1. Heat transfer in a gas or liquid by the circulation of currents from one region to another.

2. Fluid motion caused by an external force such as gravity.