diffusivity

American  

[dif-yoo-siv-i-tee] / ˌdɪf yʊˈsɪv ɪ ti /

noun

Physics.

1. the property of a substance indicative of the rate at which a thermal disturbance, as a rise in temperature, will be transmitted through the substance.

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diffusivity British  

/ ˌdɪfjuːˈsɪvɪtɪ /

noun

1. a measure of the ability of a substance to transmit a difference in temperature; expressed as the thermal conductivity divided by the product of specific heat capacity and density

2. physics

   1. the ability of a substance to permit or undergo diffusion

   2. another name for diffusion coefficient

3. another name for diffusion

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Etymology

Origin of diffusivity

First recorded in 1875–80; diffusive + -ity

Example Sentences

Materials that displayed strong low-frequency Raman features also showed high ionic diffusivity and dynamic relaxation of the host lattice.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

Using machine learning to compute the statistical distribution of the individual contributions, they were able to model the alloy and calculate its diffusivity orders of magnitude more efficiently than computing whole trajectories.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2024

Taking a foot as the unit of length, and a year as the unit of time, we find the diffusivity of the surface strata to be 400.

From Lord Kelvin An account of his scientific life and work by Gray, Andrew

Its weak links are the unverified assumptions of an initial uniform temperature and a constant diffusivity.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 6 "Geodesy" to "Geometry" by Various