lossy

[ law-see, los-ee ]

/ ˈlɔ si, ˈlɒs i /

adjective Electricity.

(of a material or transmission line) causing appreciable loss or dissipation of energy.

Nearby words

loss leader,
loss ratio,
lossless,
lossmaker,
lossmaking,
lost,
lost and found,
lost cause,
lost colony,
lost generation

Origin of lossy

First recorded in 1945–50; loss + -y¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for lossy

lossy

/ (ˈlɒsɪ) /

adjective

(of a dielectric material, transmission line, etc) designed to have a high attenuation; dissipating energylossy line Compare lossless

Word Origin for lossy

C20: from loss

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

Word Origin and History for lossy

lossy

adj.

"characterized by loss," 1948, a term in electrical engineering, from loss + -y (2).