heat-reactive
|heat-re-act-ive|
🇺🇸
/ˌhiːt riˈæk.tɪv/
🇬🇧
/ˌhiːt rɪˈæk.tɪv/
responds to heat
Etymology
'heat-reactive' is a modern English compound formed from 'heat' + 'reactive', created to describe materials or substances that react when heated.
'reactive' comes from the verb 'react', borrowed via French 'réagir' from Latin roots 're-' (again, back) + 'agere' (to do, drive). 'Heat' is Old English 'hǣtu' (heat). The compound 'heat-reactive' emerged in technical English in the 20th century as compound adjectives became common in scientific terminology.
Individually, 'heat' originally meant 'warmth' and 'reactive' meant 'tending to react'. Combined, the compound initially denoted the tendency to respond to heat and continues to mean 'responding or changing as a result of heat' in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the property or degree to which a substance or material reacts when exposed to heat (i.e., 'heat-reactivity' = the quality of being heat-reactive).
The heat reactivity of the alloy was measured to predict its behavior in high-temperature environments.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
undergoes or causes a chemical or physical reaction when exposed to heat; responsive to heating.
The laboratory tested several heat-reactive polymers to see which expanded most under controlled heating.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/25 17:47