centrifuge

American  

[sen-truh-fyooj] / ˈsɛn trəˌfyudʒ /

noun

1. an apparatus that rotates at high speed and by centrifugal force separates substances of different densities, as milk and cream.

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verb (used with object)

centrifuged, centrifuging

1. Also to subject to the action of a centrifuge.

centrifuge British  

/ ˈsɛntrɪˌfjuːdʒ, ˌsɛntrɪfjʊˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. any of various rotating machines that separate liquids from solids or dispersions of one liquid in another, by the action of centrifugal force

2. any of various rotating devices for subjecting human beings or animals to varying accelerations for experimental purposes

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verb

1. (tr) to subject to the action of a centrifuge

centrifuge Scientific  

/ sĕn′trə-fyo̅o̅j′ /

1. A machine that separates substances of different densities in a sample by rotating the sample at very high speed, causing the substance to be displaced outward, sometimes through a series of filters or gratings. Denser substances tend to be displaced from the center more than ones that are less dense.

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Other Word Forms

• centrifugation noun
• recentrifuge verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of centrifuge

1795–1805; < French, noun use of centrifuge (adj.) < New Latin centrifugus center-fleeing; centrifugal

Example Sentences

His administration accelerated a computer attack called Stuxnet designed to destroy Iran’s nuclear program by forcing centrifuges to spin until they self-destructed.

From The Wall Street Journal

That is done by converting it into a gas and spinning it at high speeds in a centrifuge.

From The Wall Street Journal

Another unanticipated threat in Iraq that could have had deadly consequences involved gas centrifuge technology used to make weapons-grade uranium.

From The Wall Street Journal

“But did she like centrifuge you together or something?”

From Literature

But tunneling appears to be increasing at Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz, which Iran in 2020 declared a site for building centrifuges, central to uranium enrichment.

From The Wall Street Journal