endothermic

UK/ˌɛndəʊˈθəːmɪk/US/ˌɛndəʊˈθəːmɪk/

adjectiveC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,704 of 15,258Too rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Endothermic means taking in heat as it reacts. An endothermic reaction, endothermic process, endothermic cooling.

The container gets cold, which is the giveaway — instant cold packs work this way, dissolving a salt that pulls heat from its surroundings. Exothermic is the opposite and far commoner. The Greek endo- means within and therme is heat.

Definitions of endothermic

1adjectiveendothermicTaking in heat as it reacts.C1
“When the powder dissolves, the reaction is endothermic and the beaker feels cold.”

endothermic is a kind of reaction.

Where it comes from

French endothermique is Greek endon, within, plus therme, heat. Exothermic is built the same way with exo, outside.

French
endothermique
English, today
endothermic

Built from

thermique · French — of heat

French endothermique, from endo- + thermique (“of heat”), both ultimately from Ancient Greek. by surface analysis, endo- + -thermic.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Chemistry & Elements

Practise this word

endothermic in the wild

The opposite of an exothermic process is an endothermic process, one that absorbs energy, usually in the form of heat.
Exothermic process
An endothermic process is a chemical or physical process that absorbs heat from its surroundings.
Endothermic process
In an endothermic process, the heat that a system absorbs is thermal energy transfer into the system.
Endothermic process
To achieve this energy saving, an endothermic animal decreases its metabolic rate and thereby its body temperature.
Hibernation
Only birds and mammals are considered truly endothermic groups of animals.
Endotherm

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the thermique family

exothermic endothermic

endothermic — used about once every 81,824 pages · #14,704 · point at the bar for the others

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