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phase down

 - 6 dictionary results

phase⋅down

  [feyz-doun]
Use phase down in a Sentence
–noun
an act or instance of phasing down; gradual reduction.
Also, phase-down.

Origin:
1965–70; n. use of v. phrase phase down

phase

  [feyz] noun, verb, phased, phas⋅ing.
–noun
1. any of the major appearances or aspects in which a thing of varying modes or conditions manifests itself to the eye or mind.
2. a stage in a process of change or development: Each phase of life brings its own joys.
3. a side, aspect, or point of view: This is only one phase of the question.
4. a state of synchronous operation: to put two mechanisms in phase.
5. Astronomy.
a. the particular appearance presented by the moon or a planet at a given time.
b. one of the recurring appearances or states of the moon or a planet in respect to the form, or the absence, of its illuminated disk: the phases of the moon.
6. Zoology. color phase.
7. Chemistry. a mechanically separate, homogeneous part of a heterogeneous system: the solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of a system.
8. Physics. a particular stage or point of advancement in a cycle; the fractional part of the period through which the time has advanced, measured from some arbitrary origin often expressed as an angle (phase angle), the entire period being taken as 360°.
–verb (used with object)
9. to schedule or order so as to be available when or as needed.
10. to put in phase; synchronize: to phase one mechanism with another.
—Verb phrases
11. phase down, to reduce by gradual stages.
12. phase in, to put or come into use gradually; incorporate by degrees: to phase in new machinery.
13. phase out, to bring or come to an end gradually; ease out of service: to phase out obsolescent machinery.
Origin:
1805–15; (n.) back formation from phases, pl. of phasis

Related forms:
phaseless, adjective
phasic, pha⋅se⋅al, adjective

Synonyms:
1. form, shape; facet, side.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

phase 
1812, "phase of the moon," back-formed as a sing. from Mod.L. phases, pl. of phasis, from Gk. phasis "appearance" (of a star), "phase" (of the moon), from stem of phainein "to show, to make appear" (see phantasm). L. sing. phasis was used in Eng. from 1660. Non-lunar application is first attested 1841. Meaning "temporary difficult period" (especially of adolescents) is attested from 1913. The verb meaning "to synchronize" is from 1938, from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: phase
Pronunciation: 'fAz
Function: noun
1 : a particular appearance or state in a regularly recurring cycle of changes
2 : a distinguishable part in a course, development, or cycle phases of a disease>
3 : a point or stage in the period of a periodic motion orprocess (as a light wave or a vibration) in relation to an arbitrary reference or starting point in the period
4 : a homogeneous, physically distinct, and mechanically separableportion of matter present in a nonhomogeneous physicochemical system; especially : one of the fundamental states of matter usually considered to include the solid, liquid, and gaseousforms
5 : an individual or subgroup distinguishably different in appearance or behavior from the norm of the group to which it belongs; also : the distinguishingpeculiarity
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

phase (fāz)
n.

  1. A characteristic form, appearance, or stage of development that occurs in a cycle or that distinguishes some individuals of a group.

  2. A discrete homogeneous part of a material system that is mechanically separable from the rest, as is ice from water.

  3. Any of the forms or states, solid, liquid, gas, or plasma, in which matter can exist, depending on temperature and pressure.

  4. A particular stage in a periodic process or phenomenon such as a wave form or time pattern.

v. phased, phas·ing, phas·es
To introduce, one stage at a time.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
phase   (fāz)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Any of the forms, recurring in cycles, in which the Moon or a planet appears in the sky.

  2. One of a set of possible homogenous, discrete states of a physical system. States of matter such as solid and liquid are examples of phases, as are different crystal lattice structures in metals such as iron. See also phase transition, state of matter.

  3. A measure of how far some cyclic behavior, such as wave motion, has proceeded through its cycle, measured in degrees or radians. At the beginning of the phase, its value is zero; at one quarter of its cycle, its phase is 90 degrees (π/2 radians); halfway through the cycle its value is 180 degrees (π radians), and so on. ◇ The phase angle between two waves is a measure of their difference in phase. Two waves of the same frequency that are perfectly in phase have phase angle zero; if one wave is ahead of the other by a quarter cycle, its phase angle 90 degrees (π/2 radians); waves that are perfectly out of phase have phase angle 180 degrees (π radians), and so on. See more at wave.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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