"rarefaction" meaning in English

See rarefaction in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: rarefactions [plural]
Etymology: From Middle French raréfaction. By surface analysis, rarefy + -faction. Etymology templates: {{uder|en|frm|raréfaction}} Middle French raréfaction, {{surf|en|rarefy|-faction}} By surface analysis, rarefy + -faction Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} rarefaction (countable and uncountable, plural rarefactions)
  1. A reduction in the density of a material, especially that of a fluid. Tags: countable, uncountable Derived forms: rarefactional Related terms: rarefact Translations (reduction in the density of a material): তনুকরণ (tonukron) (Bengali), তনুভবন (tonubhobon) (Bengali), разреждане (razreždane) [neuter] (Bulgarian), enrariment [masculine] (Catalan), rarefacció [feminine] (Catalan), 稀疏 (xīshū) (Chinese Mandarin), 疏鬆 /疏松 (shūsōng) (note: in medicine) (Chinese Mandarin), harventaminen (Finnish), ohentaminen (Finnish), harventuminen (Finnish), ohentuminen (Finnish), проретчување (proretčuvanje) [neuter] (Macedonian), rozrzedzenie [neuter] (Polish), rozcieńczenie [neuter] (Polish), rarefação [feminine] (Portuguese), разреже́ние (razrežénije) (Russian), rarefacción [feminine] (Spanish), enrarecimiento [masculine] (Spanish), seyrelme (Turkish), seyrekleşme (Turkish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

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  "antonyms": [
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      "word": "compression"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
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        "2": "frm",
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      "name": "uder"
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      "args": {
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        "2": "rarefy",
        "3": "-faction"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, rarefy + -faction",
      "name": "surf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle French raréfaction. By surface analysis, rarefy + -faction.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "rarefactions",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "~"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
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          "parents": [],
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      "derived": [
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          "word": "rarefactional"
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              119,
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          "ref": "1663, Robert Boyle, “Title I. Experiments Touching Bodies Capable of Freezing Others.”, in New Experiments and Observations Touching Cold, or, An Experimental History of Cold, Begun. […], London: […] Richard Davis, […], published 1683, →OCLC, paragraph 21, page 52:",
          "text": "[T]his ſeal'd vial, being broken under water, ſuck'd in a conſiderable quantity of it, whether, becauſe of ſome little rarefaction of the Air included in the ſealing, or becauſe of the infrigidation of that Air by the ſnow, or for both theſe Reaſons, or any other, I ſhall not Now diſpute.",
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          "ref": "1847, editorial staff, “White Hard Spirit of Wine Varnish”, in Scientific American, series 1, Volume 3, Issue 9, page 72:",
          "text": "..; but be particular to keep a firm hold over the cork of the bottle, or else the rarefaction will blow the cork out with the force of a shot: and an accident might acrue from fire.",
          "type": "quotation"
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      ],
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          "code": "bn",
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          "lang_code": "bn",
          "roman": "tonukron",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "তনুকরণ"
        },
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        },
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          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
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          "word": "enrariment"
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          "lang": "Catalan",
          "lang_code": "ca",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
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          ],
          "word": "rarefacció"
        },
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          "code": "cmn",
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          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "xīshū",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "稀疏"
        },
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          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "note": "in medicine",
          "roman": "shūsōng",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "疏鬆 /疏松"
        },
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          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "harventaminen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "ohentaminen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "harventuminen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "ohentuminen"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "lang_code": "mk",
          "roman": "proretčuvanje",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "проретчување"
        },
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          "code": "pl",
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          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "rozrzedzenie"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "rozcieńczenie"
        },
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          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "rarefação"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "razrežénije",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "разреже́ние"
        },
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          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "rarefacción"
        },
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          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
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          "word": "enrarecimiento"
        },
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          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "lang_code": "tr",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "seyrelme"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "lang_code": "tr",
          "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
          "word": "seyrekleşme"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "rarefaction"
}
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      "word": "rarefactional"
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  "etymology_text": "From Middle French raréfaction. By surface analysis, rarefy + -faction.",
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        "Terms with Finnish translations",
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        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Portuguese translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations",
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          "text": "[T]his ſeal'd vial, being broken under water, ſuck'd in a conſiderable quantity of it, whether, becauſe of ſome little rarefaction of the Air included in the ſealing, or becauſe of the infrigidation of that Air by the ſnow, or for both theſe Reaſons, or any other, I ſhall not Now diſpute.",
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          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
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      ],
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          "fluid"
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      ],
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      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "roman": "tonukron",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "তনুকরণ"
    },
    {
      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "roman": "tonubhobon",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "তনুভবন"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "lang_code": "bg",
      "roman": "razreždane",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "разреждане"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "lang_code": "ca",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "enrariment"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "lang_code": "ca",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "rarefacció"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "xīshū",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "稀疏"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "note": "in medicine",
      "roman": "shūsōng",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "疏鬆 /疏松"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "harventaminen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "ohentaminen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "harventuminen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "ohentuminen"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "lang_code": "mk",
      "roman": "proretčuvanje",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "проретчување"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "rozrzedzenie"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "rozcieńczenie"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "rarefação"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "razrežénije",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "разреже́ние"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "rarefacción"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "enrarecimiento"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "lang_code": "tr",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "seyrelme"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "lang_code": "tr",
      "sense": "reduction in the density of a material",
      "word": "seyrekleşme"
    }
  ],
  "word": "rarefaction"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-16 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (d6fca27 and 65e1673). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.