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albedo

[ al-bee-doh ]
/ ælˈbi doʊ /
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noun, plural alĀ·beĀ·dos.
Astronomy. the ratio of the light reflected by a planet or satellite to that received by it.
Meteorology. such a ratio for any part of the earth's surface or atmosphere.
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Origin of albedo

First recorded in 1855–60; from Late Latin albēdō ā€œwhite (color), whiteness,ā€ equivalent to alb(us) ā€œwhiteā€ + -ēdō noun suffix; cf. torpedo
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use albedo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for albedo

albedo
/ (ƦlˈbiːdÉ™ŹŠ) /

noun
the ratio of the intensity of light reflected from an object, such as a planet, to that of the light it receives from the sun
physics the probability that a neutron passing through a surface will return through that surface

Word Origin for albedo

C19: from Church Latin: whiteness, from Latin albus white
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for albedo

albedo
[ ăl-bē′dō ]

The fraction of the total light striking a surface that gets reflected from that surface. An object that has a high albedo (near 1) is very bright; an object that has a low albedo (near 0) is dark. The Earth's albedo is about 0.37. The Moon's is about 0.12.
The American HeritageĀ® Science Dictionary Copyright Ā© 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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