refrigerant

[ri-frij-er-uhnt]

adjective

1. refrigerating; cooling.

2. reducing bodily heat or fever.

noun

1. a refrigerant agent, as a drug.

2. a liquid capable of vaporizing at a low temperature, as ammonia, used in mechanical refrigeration.

3. a cooling substance, as ice or solid carbon dioxide, used in a refrigerator.

refrigerant

/ rɪˈfrɪdʒərənt /

noun

1. a fluid capable of changes of phase at low temperatures: used as the working fluid of a refrigerator

2. a cooling substance, such as ice or solid carbon dioxide

3. med an agent that provides a sensation of coolness or reduces fever

adjective

1. causing cooling or freezing

refrigerant

1. A substance, such as ice or ammonia, used to cool something by absorbing heat from it. Refrigerants are usually substances that evaporate quickly. In the process of evaporation they draw heat from surrounding substances.

Other Word Forms

• nonrefrigerant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of refrigerant¹

1590–1600; < Latin refrīgerant- (stem of refrīgerāns ), present participle of refrīgerāre. See refrigerate, -ant

Example Sentences

Ambient heat causes a refrigerant inside the heat pump to warm up and expand.

From BBC

TFA forms when synthetic chemicals from other "forever chemicals" such as those found in pesticides and refrigerants are partially broken down.

From BBC

One issue the refrigerant - the fluid that transitions back and forth from liquid to gas, in a process that transfers heat.

From BBC

When it’s cold outside, the process is reversed: Heat from the chilly outdoor air is extracted and delivered indoors with the help of refrigerants and a compressor.

From Seattle Times

Methylene chloride will continue to be allowed to make refrigerants as an alternative to other chemicals that produce greenhouse gases and contribute to climate change, Freedhoff said.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• container