adiabatic

[ ad-ee-uh-bat-ik, ey-dahy-uh- ]

/ ˌæd i əˈbæt ɪk, ˌeɪ daɪ ə- /

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adjective

occurring without gain or loss of heat (opposed to diabatic): an adiabatic process.

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Origin of adiabatic

1875–80; <Greek adiábat(os) incapable of being crossed (a-a-⁶ + dia-dia- + ba- (stem of baínein to cross) + -tos verbal adjective suffix) + -ic; cf. diabatic

OTHER WORDS FROM adiabatic

ad·i·a·bat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby adiabatic

ad hoc, ad hockery, adhocracy, ad hominem, adiabat, adiabatic, adiabatic chart, adiactinic, adiadochokinesia, adiaphoresis, adiaphoretic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use adiabatic in a sentence

At the same time the utmost pains are taken to maintain the adiabatic condition of the metal walls.
Respiration Calorimeters for Studying the Respiratory Exchange and Energy Transformations of Man|Francis Gano Benedict
Adiabatic, ad-i-a-bat′ik, adj. (physics) neither losing nor gaining heat: impassable to heat.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
This is the ratio of the adiabatic elasticity of air to the isothermal elasticity.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2|Various
The adiabatic lines, representing a fall of temperature of 1° Fahrenheit per 183 feet of ascent, serve for comparison.
Sounding the Ocean of Air|A. Lawrence Rotch

The straight dotted lines show the adiabatic decrease of temperature for ascending dry air.
Sounding the Ocean of Air|A. Lawrence Rotch

British Dictionary definitions for adiabatic

adiabatic

/ (ˌædɪəˈbætɪk, ˌeɪ-) /

adjective

(of a thermodynamic process) taking place without loss or gain of heat

noun

a curve or surface on a graph representing the changes in two or more characteristics (such as pressure and volume) of a system undergoing an adiabatic process

Word Origin for adiabatic

C19: from Greek adiabatos not to be crossed, impassable (to heat), from a- 1 + diabatos passable, from dia- across + bainein to go

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 adiabatic

adiabatic

[ ăd′ē-ə-băt′ĭk ]

Occurring without gain or loss of heat. When a gas is compressed under adiabatic conditions, its pressure increases and its temperature rises without the gain or loss of any heat. Conversely, when a gas expands under adiabatic conditions, its pressure and temperature both decrease without the gain or loss of heat. The adiabatic cooling of air as it rises in the atmosphere is the main cause of cloud formation.