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
OTHER WORDS FROM adiabatic
ad·i·a·bat·i·cal·ly, adverbWords nearby adiabatic
ad hoc, ad hockery, adhocracy, ad hominem, adiabat, adiabatic, adiabatic chart, adiactinic, adiadochokinesia, adiadochokinesis, adiaphoresis
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for adiabatic
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
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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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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