exothermic
adjective, noun
Forms exothermics
- adjective (chemistry, of a reaction) That releases energy in the form of heat.
- adjective (chemistry, of a compound) That releases heat during its formation, and absorbs it during its decomposition.
- adjective (zoology) Of an animal: whose body temperature is regulated by external factors; cold-blooded.
- noun A substance that releases heat energy.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From French exothermique, from exo- (“outside”) + thermique (“of heat”), both ultimately from Ancient Greek. By surface analysis, exo- + -thermic.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Characterized by, or formed with, evolution of heat; as, an exothermic reaction; --opposed to endothermic.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “exothermic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details