eutectic
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Ancient Greek εὔτηκτος (eutēktos, “easily melted”), from εὖ (eu, “well”) + τήκω (tēkō, “to melt”).
Pronunciation [edit]
Adjective [edit]
eutectic (not comparable)
- Describing the chemical composition and/or temperature of a mixture of substances that gives the lowest temperature at which the mixture becomes fully molten. A further requirement is that that temperature is lower than the melting point of any of the pure component substances.
- (chemistry) Describing the thermodynamic equilibrium conditions where a liquid coexists with two solid phases.
- For a mixture with two components at a fixed pressure, the eutectic reaction can only happen at a fixed chemical composition and temperature, called the eutectic point.
Noun [edit]
eutectic (plural eutectics)
- A material that has the composition of a eutectic mixture or eutectic alloy
- The temperature of the eutectic point
Usage notes [edit]
- Use with the indefinite article is mixed. The dominant usage seems to favour "a eutectic", although "an eutectic" can be found in some texts.
References [edit]
- The Oxford English Dictionary
