absolute humidity

American  

noun

1. the mass of water vapor present in a unit volume of moist air.

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absolute humidity British  

noun

1. the humidity of the atmosphere, usually expressed as the number of grams of water contained in 1 cubic metre of air Compare relative humidity

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absolute humidity Scientific  

1. The amount of water vapor that is present in a unit volume of air, usually expressed in grams per cubic meter. Absolute humidity does not fluctuate with the temperature of the air.

2. Compare relative humidity

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Etymology

Origin of absolute humidity

First recorded in 1865–70

Compare meaning

How does absolute-humidity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• relative humidity vs. absolute humidity

Example Sentences

Existing methods for generating meteorological data do not adequately handle the interdependence of meteorological elements, such as solar radiation, air temperature, and absolute humidity, which are important for calculating energy usage and efficiency.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

“When absolute humidity gets lower, aerosolized droplets containing virus tend to contain less water too. They become smaller, lighter, and they can travel farther.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2022

And absolute humidity drops sharply in winter, because cold air holds less water vapor.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 13, 2020

Moreover, the higher the temperature and absolute humidity of the region, the wider the nostril, the researchers found, suggesting that climate very well may have played a part in shaping our sniffers.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2017

At the low temperatures which prevail in the winter of the higher latitudes the absolute humidity is very low, but, owing to the cold, the air is often damp.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 "Clervaux" to "Cockade" by Various