capillarity

[ kap-uh-lar-i-tee ]

noun

Also called capillary action, capillary attraction. Physics. a manifestation of surface tension by which the portion of the surface of a liquid coming in contact with a solid is elevated or depressed, depending on the adhesive or cohesive properties of the liquid.

Origin of capillarity

First recorded in 1820–30; capillary + -ty²

Other words from capillarity

non·cap·il·lar·i·ty, noun

Words Nearby capillarity

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

How to use capillarity in a sentence

The reaction is one of great chemical interest, being one of that class of reactions which is greatly affected by capillarity.
On Laboratory Arts | Richard Threlfall
A rain drop's roundness is due to the action of capillarity.
The Library of Work and Play: Mechanics, Indoors and Out | Fred T. Hodgson
The same circumstance is presented in the theory of electricity and in that of capillarity.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method | Henri Poincar
In a lamp, a small portion of oil is raised in the wick by capillarity, which being heated, boils and burns.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines | Andrew Ure
This results in active capillarity which brings water to the surface and it is lost by evaporation.
The First Book of Farming | Charles L. Goodrich

British Dictionary definitions for capillarity

capillarity

/ (ˌkæpɪˈlærɪtɪ) /

noun

a phenomenon caused by surface tension and resulting in the distortion, elevation, or depression of the surface of a liquid in contact with a solid: Also called: capillary action

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

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