convection
/kənˈvɛkʃən/ noun
Forms convections convexion
- noun (obsolete) The process of conveying something.
- noun (physics) The transmission of heat in a fluid by the circulation of currents.
- noun (meteorology) The vertical movement of heat and moisture, especially by updrafts and downdrafts in an unstable air mass. The terms convection and thunderstorm are often used interchangeably, although thunderstorms are only one form of convection. Towering cumulus clouds are visible forms of convection.
Etymology
From Latin convectiōnem, from convectiō (“act of carrying”), from convect-, past participle stem of convehō (“to carry together”), combination of com- and vehō. By surface analysis, convect + -ion.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act or process of conveying or transmitting.
- noun A process of transfer or transmission, as of heat or electricity, by means of currents in liquids or gases, resulting from changes of temperature and other causes.
Etymology [L. convectio, fr. convehere to bring together; con- + vehere to carry.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “convection”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details