centrifuge
n. countablen. a machine that spins very fast to separate things that are mixed together. It uses the force of spinning to pull heavier parts to the bottom.
n. a device that uses rapid spinning to separate substances of different densities. The force generated by the rotation causes heavier particles to move outward, away from the axis of rotation.
The lab technician used a centrifuge to separate the blood cells.
In a medical lab, a centrifuge is essential for isolating plasma from whole blood samples before testing.
The industrial centrifuge operates at thousands of revolutions per minute, effectively separating the liquid from the solid particles in the slurry through sheer mechanical force.
From French centrifuge, from Latin centrum (“center”) + fugiō (“to flee”). Equivalent to centri- + -fuge.