hysteresis

[ his-tuh-ree-sis ]

/ ˌhɪs təˈri sɪs /

Save This Word!

noun Physics.

the lag in response exhibited by a body in reacting to changes in the forces, especially magnetic forces, affecting it.Compare magnetic hysteresis.

the phenomenon exhibited by a system, often a ferromagnetic or imperfectly elastic material, in which the reaction of the system to changes is dependent upon its past reactions to change.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hysteresis

1795–1805; <Greek hystérēsis deficiency, state of being behind or late, hence inferior, equivalent to hysterē-, variant stem of hystereîn to come late, lag behind, verbal derivative of hýsteros coming behind + -sis-sis

OTHER WORDS FROM hysteresis

hys·ter·et·ic

[his-tuh-ret-ik], /ˌhɪs təˈrɛt ɪk/, hys·ter·e·si·al

[his-tuh-ree-see-uhl], /ˌhɪs təˈri si əl/, adjectivehys·ter·et·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby hysteresis

hyson, hyssop, hyster-, hysterectomize, hysterectomy, hysteresis, hysteresis loop, hysteresis loss, hysteria, hysteric, hysterical

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

How to use hysteresis in a sentence

Simulations suggest that the hysteresis arose because the initial friction between sticks needed to be overcome before the contact points started to rearrange.
Experiments hint at why bird nests are so sturdy|Emily Conover|May 12, 2022|Science News
A well-known example of hysteresis is presented by the case of permanent magnets.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3|Various
The closed figure a c d e a is variously called a hysteresis curve or diagram or loop.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3|Various
The effects of temperature upon hysteresis were also carefully studied, and many hysteresis loops were plotted.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3|Various

Hence in performing a cycle there is a waste of energy corresponding to what has been termed hysteresis-loss.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3|Various
We should expect too—and we find—that hysteresis is more prominent in weak gels than in strong.
Animal Proteins|Hugh Garner Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for hysteresis

hysteresis

/ (ˌhɪstəˈriːsɪs) /

noun

physics the lag in a variable property of a system with respect to the effect producing it as this effect varies, esp the phenomenon in which the magnetic flux density of a ferromagnetic material lags behind the changing external magnetic field strength

Derived forms of hysteresis

hysteretic (ˌhɪstəˈrɛtɪk), adjectivehysteretically, adverb

Word Origin for hysteresis

C19: from Greek husterēsis coming late, from husteros coming after

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 hysteresis

hysteresis

[ hĭs′tə-rē′sĭs ]

The dependence of the state of a system on the history of its state. For example, the magnetization of a material such as iron depends not only on the magnetic field it is exposed to but on previous exposures to magnetic fields. This memory of previous exposure to magnetism is the working principle in audio tape and hard disk devices. Deformations in the shape of substances that last after the deforming force has been removed, as well as phenomena such as supercooling, are examples of hysteresis.