viscosity
- 01 C1 Advanced
the quality of being thick, sticky, and slow to flow.
the state or quality of being viscous; the degree to which a fluid resists flow due to internal friction.
Simple“Honey has a much higher viscosity than water, so it pours more slowly.”
In context“Engineers must carefully monitor the viscosity of the motor oil to ensure it remains effective at high temperatures.”
UsageUncountable when referring to the general property of a substance.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
a specific measurement of how much a liquid resists moving.
a quantitative measure of a fluid's resistance to gradual deformation by shear stress or tensile stress.
Simple“The lab report listed the exact viscosity of the new chemical at room temperature.”
In context“The experiment required precise calculations of the fluid's dynamic viscosity to predict its behavior under pressure.”
UsageCountable when referring to specific numerical values or different types of measurements.
Synonymscoefficient of viscosity - 03 C2 Proficiency
a person's tendency to keep a conversation or meeting going for a long time.
a psychological tendency to prolong interpersonal encounters or difficulty in shifting from one social interaction to another.
Simple“The doctor noted the patient's social viscosity during their long, repetitive conversation.”
In context“In clinical psychology, social viscosity may be observed in patients who struggle to recognize social cues indicating the end of an interaction.”
Synonyms
From Middle French viscosité, from Old French viscosité, from Medieval Latin viscositas; analysable as viscous + -ity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.