ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pascal

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //pæˈskæɫ// UK //pˈæskəl// pas·cal

n. a unit used to measure pressure in science. It tells you how much force is pushing against a specific area.

n. the SI derived unit of pressure or stress, equivalent to one newton per square metre. Named after the French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal.


SIMPLE

The scientist measures the air pressure in pascals.

CONTEXTUAL

Standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately 101,325 pascals, though meteorologists often use kilopascals for convenience.

COMPLEX

Engineers must ensure the material can withstand several million pascals of internal stress before the structural integrity of the hull is compromised.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin Paschālis, from paschālis (“Paschal; of or pertaining to Easter”), from pascha (“Easter”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives), for birth on Easter, or in honor of the 9th-century pope Paschal I (died 824). Doublet of Paschal. The programming language was named after French mathematician, philosopher and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–1662).

Usage

When used as a unit of measurement, it is written in lowercase ('pascal'), but the symbol 'Pa' is always capitalised.

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