saturation

[ sach-uh-rey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for saturation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act or process of saturating.

  2. the state of being saturated.

  1. Meteorology. a condition in the atmosphere corresponding to 100 percent relative humidity.

  2. the degree of chroma or purity of a color; the degree of freedom from admixture with white.

  3. Magnetism. the state of maximum magnetization of a ferromagnetic material.

Origin of saturation

1
1545–55; <Late Latin saturātiōn- (stem of saturātiō) a filling, equivalent to saturāt(us) (see saturate) + -iōn--ion

Other words from saturation

  • de·sat·u·ra·tion, noun
  • non·sat·u·ra·tion, noun
  • o·ver·sat·u·ra·tion, noun
  • sub·sat·u·ra·tion, noun

Words Nearby saturation

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

How to use saturation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for saturation

saturation

/ (ˌsætʃəˈreɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the act of saturating or the state of being saturated

  2. chem the state of a chemical compound, solution, or vapour when it is saturated

  1. meteorol the state of the atmosphere when it can hold no more water vapour at its particular temperature and pressure, the relative humidity then being 100 per cent

  2. the attribute of a colour that enables an observer to judge its proportion of pure chromatic colour: See also colour

  3. physics the state of a ferromagnetic material in which it is fully magnetized. The magnetic domains are then all fully aligned

  4. electronics the state of a valve or semiconductor device that is carrying the maximum current of which it is capable and is therefore unresponsive to further increases of input signal

  5. the level beyond which demand for a product or service is not expected to increase

adjective
  1. denoting the maximum possible intensity of coverage of an area: saturation bombing; a saturation release of a film

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 saturation

saturation

[ săch′ə-rāshən ]


  1. The state of a physical system, such as a solution, containing as much of another substance, such as a solute, as is possible at a given temperature or pressure.

  2. The vividness of a color's hue. Saturation measures the degree to which a color differs from a gray of the same darkness or lightness. Compare hue value.

  1. The state of being a saturated organic compound. See more at saturated.

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