rarefaction
[ rair-uh-fak-shuh n ]
/ ˌrɛər əˈfæk ʃən /
noun
RELATED WORDS
distillation, clarification, void, gap, regeneration, purgation, absolution, atonement, forgiveness, grace, rebirth, washing, redemption, refinement, ablution, purge, catharsis, baptism, salvation, bathing
Nearby words
- rare gas,
- rare-earth element,
- rare-earth metals,
- rarebit,
- raree show,
- rarefactive,
- rarefied,
- rarefy,
- rarely,
- rarely ever
Origin of rarefaction
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for rarefaction
rarefaction
rarefication (ˌrɛərɪfɪˈkeɪʃən)
/ (ˌrɛərɪˈfækʃən) /
noun
the act or process of making less dense or the state of being less dense
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
rarefaction
c.1600, from Middle French raréfaction or directly from Medieval Latin rarefactionem (nominative rarefactio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin rarefacere (see rarefy). Used chiefly in reference to gasses.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
rarefaction
[ râr′ə-făk′shən ]
n.
A decrease in density and pressure in a medium, such as air, caused by the passage of a sound wave.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
rarefaction
[ râr′ə-făk′shən ]
A decrease in density and pressure in a medium, such as air, especially when caused by the passage of a wave, such as a sound wave.
The region in which this occurs.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.