blackbody

[ blak-bod-ee ]

/ ˈblækˈbɒd i /

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noun, plural black·bod·ies.Physics.

a hypothetical body that absorbs without reflection all of the electromagnetic radiation incident on its surface and then, depending on temperature, emits its own thermal radiation.

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Also called perfect radiator.

Origin of blackbody

First recorded in 1700–10

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

How to use blackbody in a sentence

Less than 10 minutes later, the attendants wheeled out the gurney, which now bore a black body bag.
Inside Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Apartment|Michael Daly|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like a flash a great black body bounded through the air and Bruno's teeth were buried in the shoulder of his victim.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
A juvenile having a black body, yellow dorsal stripes, and a bright blue tail was observed on the forest floor.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman
The natives at Chinaj described to me a coral having orange rings on a black body that likely was this species.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman

I was released from the spell of that bloodstained black body all mixed up with grey-black mud.
Tono Bungay|H. G. Wells
Male with a glossy purplish head and greenish black body; female grayish brown.
Bird Guide: Land Birds East of the Rockies|Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed

British Dictionary definitions for blackbody

black body

noun

physics a hypothetical body that would be capable of absorbing all the electromagnetic radiation falling on itAlso called: full radiator

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 blackbody

blackbody

[ blăk′bŏd′ē ]

A theoretically perfect absorber and emitter of every frequency of electromagnetic radiation. The radiation emitted by a blackbody is a function only of its temperature.

Cultural definitions for blackbody

blackbody

An object that can absorb and send off radiation with complete efficiency — that is, it reflects (see reflection) none of the radiation that falls on it. The higher the object's temperature, the higher the frequency of the radiation it gives off.