permittivity

[pur-mi-tiv-i-tee]

noun, plural per·mit·tiv·i·ties.

Electricity. the ratio of the flux density produced by an electric field in a given dielectric to the flux density produced by that field in a vacuum.

Origin of permittivity

First recorded in 1885–90; permit¹ + -ive + -ity

Also called dielectric constant, relative permittivity, specific inductive capacity.

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British Dictionary definitions for relative permittivity

relative permittivity

noun

the ratio of the permittivity of a substance to that of free spaceSymbol: ε r Also called: dielectric constant

permittivity

noun plural -ties

a measure of the response of a substance to an electric field, expressed as the ratio of its electric displacement to the applied field strength; measured in farads per metreSymbol: ε See also relative permittivity, electric constant

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

relative permittivity in Science

relative permittivity

The ratio of the magnetic permittivity of a substance to the permittivity of a vacuum.

permittivity

[pûr′mĭ-tĭv′ĭ-tē]

A measure of the ability of a material to resist the formation of an electric field within it, equal to the ratio between the electric flux density and the electric field strength generated by an electric charge in the material.