the state or property of being viscous the extent to which a fluid resists a tendency to flow - Also called: absolute viscosity
a measure of this resistance, equal to the tangential stress on a liquid undergoing streamline flow divided by its velocity gradient. It is measured in newton seconds per metre squared
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
vis•cos•i•ty /vɪˈskɑsɪti/USA pronunciation
n., pl. -ties.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Physics[uncountable] the state or quality of being viscous.
- Physics the property of a fluid that resists the force tending to cause the fluid to flow:[countable]oil of a high viscosity.
vis•cos•i•ty
(vi skos′i tē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ties.
- Physicsthe state or quality of being viscous.
- Physics
- the property of a fluid that resists the force tending to cause the fluid to flow.
- the measure of the extent to which a fluid possesses this property.
- Medieval Latin viscōsitās, equivalent. to Latin viscōs(us) viscous + -itās- -ity
- late Middle English 1375–1425
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