Hookean
|Hook-e-an|
/ˈhʊkiən/
pertaining to Hooke; obeying Hooke's law
Etymology
'Hookean' originates from English, specifically the surname 'Hooke' (from Old English 'hoc'), where 'Hooke' meant 'hook', and the adjective-forming suffix '-ean' ultimately derives from Latin '-ānus' meaning 'pertaining to'.
'Hookean' was formed in scientific English by combining the surname 'Hooke' with the adjectival suffix '-ean' (17th–19th centuries) to mean 'pertaining to Hooke'; it later became widely used to describe materials or relations that follow Hooke's law.
Initially, it meant 'of or pertaining to Hooke (the person)'; over time it evolved to specifically denote 'obeying Hooke's law' or 'linear-elastic' behavior in physics and engineering.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of Robert Hooke or Hooke's law; (in physics/materials) describing behavior that obeys Hooke's law (i.e., linear relation between force and displacement or stress and strain for small deformations).
For small strains the material showed Hookean behavior, with stress proportional to strain.
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Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/07 00:10