centrifuge

[ sen-truh-fyooj ]

noun
  1. an apparatus that rotates at high speed and by centrifugal force separates substances of different densities, as milk and cream.

verb (used with object),cen·tri·fuged, cen·tri·fug·ing.
  1. Also centrifugalize. to subject to the action of a centrifuge.

Origin of centrifuge

1
1795–1805; <French, noun use of centrifuge (adj.) <New Latin centrifugus center-fleeing; see centrifugal

Other words from centrifuge

  • cen·trif·u·ga·tion [sen-trif-yuh-gey-shuhn, -trif-uh-], /sɛnˌtrɪf yəˈgeɪ ʃən, -ˌtrɪf ə-/, noun
  • re·cen·tri·fuge, verb (used with object), re·cen·tri·fuged, re·cen·tri·fug·ing.

Words Nearby centrifuge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use centrifuge in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for centrifuge

centrifuge

/ (ˈsɛntrɪˌfjuːdʒ) /


noun
  1. any of various rotating machines that separate liquids from solids or dispersions of one liquid in another, by the action of centrifugal force

  2. any of various rotating devices for subjecting human beings or animals to varying accelerations for experimental purposes

verb
  1. (tr) to subject to the action of a centrifuge

Derived forms of centrifuge

  • centrifugation (ˌsɛntrɪfjʊˈɡeɪʃən), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for centrifuge

centrifuge

[ sĕntrə-fyōōj′ ]


  1. A machine that separates substances of different densities in a sample by rotating the sample at very high speed, causing the substance to be displaced outward, sometimes through a series of filters or gratings. Denser substances tend to be displaced from the center more than ones that are less dense.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.