lossy

[law-see, los-ee]

adjective Electricity.

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

Origin of lossy

First recorded in 1945–50; loss + -y¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for lossy

lossy

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

adj.

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