supercritical
|su-per-crit-i-cal|
🇺🇸
/ˌsuːpərˈkrɪtɪkəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌsuːpəˈkrɪtɪkəl/
beyond critical point
Etymology
'supercritical' originates from the prefix 'super-' meaning 'above' and the word 'critical' from Greek 'kritikos', meaning 'able to judge'.
'supercritical' evolved from the combination of 'super-' and 'critical' in the 20th century to describe states in physics and engineering.
Initially, it referred to states beyond critical points in physics, and this meaning has remained consistent.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
describing a state of a substance above its critical temperature and pressure, where distinct liquid and gas phases do not exist.
The supercritical fluid is used in various industrial applications.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/01/11 11:45