Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Chemistry Characterized by or causing the absorption of heat; endoergic.
  • adjective Biology Of or relating to an organism that generates heat to maintain its body temperature, typically above the temperature of its surroundings; warm-blooded.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Relating to absorption of heat.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective (Chem.) Designating, or pert. to, a reaction which occurs with absorption of heat; formed by such a reaction; ; -- opposed to exothermic.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective chemistry Of a chemical reaction that absorbs heat energy from its surroundings.
  • adjective zoology Of an animal whose body temperature is regulated by internal factors.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (of a chemical reaction or compound) occurring or formed with absorption of heat

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From endo- (“inside”) +‎ thermic (“of heat”).

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word endothermic.

Examples

  • II., where the meaning of the expression endothermic is explained.

    Acetylene, the Principles of Its Generation and Use W. J. Atkinson Butterfield

  • Compounds are therefore of two kinds: those which absorb heat during their preparation, and consequently liberate heat when they are decomposed -- such being termed endothermic; and those which evolve heat during their preparation, and consequently absorb heat when they are decomposed -- such being called exothermic.

    Acetylene, the Principles of Its Generation and Use W. J. Atkinson Butterfield

  • Let them contract again and, in a socalled endothermic reaction, they cool down.

    Home | Mail Online 2009

  • This process is endothermic, meaning it absorbs thermal energy from its surroundings, decreasing the temperature and eliminating the fire. [wiki]

    A Bit of Soap Heather McDougal 2009

  • This process is endothermic, meaning it absorbs thermal energy from its surroundings, decreasing the temperature and eliminating the fire. [wiki]

    Archive 2009-06-01 Heather McDougal 2009

  • The toxic action of the impurities of crude acetylene is discussed in Chapter V. Acetylene is an "endothermic" compound, as has been mentioned in Chapter

    Acetylene, the Principles of Its Generation and Use W. J. Atkinson Butterfield

  • The Namir - meaning 'tiger' - is a joint development between Frazer-Nash Research and Giugiaro and uses a 814cc "endothermic" rotary engine to charge a 400V 108-cell lithium-ion battery pack that is, in turn, hooked up to four electric motors - two per axle - that together generate 362bhp (270kW).

    The Register 2009

  • I wasn†™ t very good in thermodynamics, but my guess is that the cloak is endothermic somehow, and it sucked all the heat from inside the bubble.

    365 tomorrows » featured writer : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2009

  • Apparently, there was an overload in the Jónsson Alignment Compensators, which caused the endothermic vacuum inducers in Montana, Colorado, and Utah to change their focus angle.

    365 tomorrows » 2009 » March : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2009

  • • The massive Sigurðsson-Björk subterranean endothermic induction “vacuum” to remotely suck the heat energy from the magma chamber,

    365 tomorrows » 2009 » March : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.