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relative humidity

noun

the amount of water vapor in the air, expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount that the air could hold at the given temperature; the ratio of the actual water vapor pressure to the saturation vapor pressure. Abbreviations: RH, rh

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Also called humidity.
Compare absolute humidity, dew point, mixing ratio, specific humidity.

Origin of relative humidity

First recorded in 1810–20

Words nearby relative humidity

relative clause, relative complement, relative density, relative deprivation, relative frequency, relative humidity, relative impediment, relative leukocytosis, relatively, relatively prime numbers, relative major
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for relative humidity

relative humidity

noun

the mass of water vapour present in the air expressed as a percentage of the mass that would be present in an equal volume of saturated air at the same temperatureCompare absolute humidity
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

Medical definitions for relative humidity

relative humidity

n.

The ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air at a specific temperature to the maximum amount that the air could hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for relative humidity

relative humidity

The ratio of the actual amount of water vapor present in a volume of air at a given temperature to the maximum amount that the air could hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cool air, so a particular amount of water vapor will yield a lower relative humidity in warm air than it does in cool air. Compare absolute humidity.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.