| / English Dictionary |
TURBULENCE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Unstable flow of a liquid or gas
Synonyms:
turbulence; turbulency
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("turbulence" is a kind of...):
physical phenomenon (a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "turbulence"):
countercurrent; crosscurrent; rip; riptide; tide rip (a stretch of turbulent water in a river or the sea caused by one current flowing into or across another current)
Derivation:
turbulent ((of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)
Example:
the industrial revolution was a period of great turbulence
Synonyms:
Sturm und Drang; turbulence; upheaval
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("turbulence" is a kind of...):
disorder (a disturbance of the peace or of public order)
Domain category:
government; political science; politics (the study of government of states and other political units)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "turbulence"):
agitation; ferment; fermentation; tempestuousness; unrest (a state of agitation or turbulent change or development)
roller coaster (anything characterized by abrupt and extreme changes (especially up and down))
violence (a turbulent state resulting in injuries and destruction etc.)
Derivation:
turbulent (characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Instability in the atmosphere
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("turbulence" is a kind of...):
bad weather; inclemency; inclementness (weather unsuitable for outdoor activities)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "turbulence"):
clear-air turbulence (strong turbulence in an otherwise cloudless region that subjects aircraft to violent updrafts or downdrafts)
Context examples:
Unlike the tiny, sunspot blemishes on our middle-aged sun, starspots can be gargantuan in stars as young as those in the Pleiades because stellar youth is associated with greater turbulence and magnetic activity.
(Kepler Watches Stellar Dancers in the Pleiades Cluster, NASA)
She busied herself with following the aerial creations of the poets; and in the majestic and wondrous scenes which surrounded our Swiss home —the sublime shapes of the mountains, the changes of the seasons, tempest and calm, the silence of winter, and the life and turbulence of our Alpine summers—she found ample scope for admiration and delight.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
The researchers analyzed owl-inspired feather wing models with and without leading edge serrations, by combining large-eddy simulations – a mathematical model for turbulence used in computational fluid dynamics to simulate air flows – and Particle-Image Velocimetry (PIV) and force measurements in a low-speed wind tunnel.
(Owls' Wings Key to Beating Wind Turbine Noise, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Working in the Galapagos Islands, the biologists studied wave motions, conducted underwater experiments and used marine life censuses to evaluate the effects of wave turbulence on sea urchins and fish feeding on algae.
(Galapagos sea life study highlights importance of biodiversity in the face of climate change, National Science Foundation)
New research by Brown University biologists studying the effects of wave turbulence on sea creatures paints a clearer picture of why biologically diverse communities are more likely to thrive: A more diverse community is more resistant to rapidly changing environmental conditions.
(Galapagos sea life study highlights importance of biodiversity in the face of climate change, National Science Foundation)
This was a permanent move, said Daisy over the telephone, but I didn't believe it—I had no sight into Daisy's heart but I felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game.
(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
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