supernatant
adjective, noun
Forms supernatants
- adjective (chiefly of a liquid) Lying or floating above a denser fluid, or above a solid sediment or precipitate (which has been separated by crystallisation, centrifugation etc.).
- noun The liquid that lies above a sediment or precipitate.
- noun Material that floats on the surface of a liquid.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
L. supernatanus, p.pr. of supernatare to swim above; super above + natare to swim.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Swimming above; floating on the surface; as, oil supernatant on water. SUPERNATANT Su`per*na"tant, n. (Chem.)
- adjective The liquid remaining after solids suspended in a liquid have been sedimented by gravity or by centrifugation. Contrasted with the solid sediment, or (in centrifugation) the pellet.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “supernatant”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details