emission
Americannoun
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an act or instance of emitting.
the emission of poisonous fumes.
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an act or instance of issuing, as paper money.
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Electronics. a measure of the number of electrons emitted by the heated filament or cathode of a vacuum tube.
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an ejection or discharge of semen or other fluid from the body.
- Synonyms:
- ejaculation
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the fluid ejected or discharged.
- Synonyms:
- ejaculate
noun
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the act of emitting or sending forth
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energy, in the form of heat, light, radio waves, etc, emitted from a source
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a substance, fluid, etc, that is emitted; discharge
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a measure of the number of electrons emitted by a cathode or electron gun See also secondary emission thermionic emission
at 1000°C the emission is 3 mA
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physiol any bodily discharge, esp an involuntary release of semen during sleep
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an issue, as of currency
Usage
What does emission mean? An emission is something that has been emitted—released or discharged. In general, emissions consist of things like gas, liquid, heat, sound, light, and radiation.Emissions can come from natural sources or from machines. A specific example of an emission is the exhaust from cars (in the U.S., such emissions are regulated through emissions tests). This exhaust is just one form of carbon emissions—greenhouse gases from various sources that are known to contribute to global warming and climate change.Emission can also refer to an instance or the process of emitting, as in This filter is designed to reduce the emission of light. Example: Carbon dioxide emissions from volcanoes are much lower than those from cars and airplanes.
Other Word Forms
- emissive adjective
- nonemission noun
- reemission noun
Etymology
Origin of emission
First recorded in 1600–10; from Middle French or directly from Latin ēmissiōn- (stem of ēmissiō ), equivalent to ēmiss(us), past participle of ēmittere “to send forth” ( ē- “from, out of” + mit-, stem of mittere “to send” + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- noun suffix; emit, e- 1, -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The EU's climate monitor, however, says the last three years have been the hottest globally on record, driven by rising greenhouse gas emissions that are causing global warming.
From Barron's
In theory, replacing natural gas with hydrogen can help gas utilities cut emissions while still investing in pipelines, because hydrogen can be produced and burned without emitting greenhouse gases.
From Los Angeles Times
Alongside concerns over planet-warming carbon emissions are worries about water use to cool the data centre servers, which can lead to shortages on hot days.
From Barron's
About 30% of human caused greenhouse gas emissions are linked to the way food is produced and consumed.
From Science Daily
Among them were the Independent Petroleum Assn. of America, which praised the administration for its “efforts to reform and streamline regulations governing greenhouse gas emissions.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
