Definitions

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

  • adjective Of, relating to, or formed at the lowest possible temperature of solidification for any mixture of specified constituents. Used especially of an alloy whose melting point is lower than that of any other alloy composed of the same constituents in different proportions.
  • adjective Exhibiting the constitution or properties of such a solid.
  • noun A eutectic mixture, solution, or alloy.
  • noun The eutectic temperature.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Fusing easily; solidifying at a low temperature: specifically applied by Guthrie to a mixture of substances in such proportions that the fusing-point is lower than that of either of the constituents themselves.
  • noun A eutectic substance or mixture, as an alloy.

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

  • noun a mixture of substances having a composition providing the minimum melting point ofr mixtures of those substances. Called also a eutectic mixture.
  • adjective (Physics) Of maximum fusibility; -- said of an alloy or mixture which has the lowest melting point which it is possible to obtain by the combination of the given components.

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

  • adjective Describing the chemical composition and/or temperature of a mixture of substances that gives the lowest temperature at which the mixture becomes fully molten. A further requirement is that that temperature is lower than the melting point of any of the pure component substances.
  • adjective chemistry Describing the thermodynamic equilibrium conditions where a liquid coexists with two solid phases.
  • noun A material that has the composition of a eutectic mixture or eutectic alloy
  • noun The temperature of the eutectic point

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

  • noun a mixture of substances having a minimum melting point

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Greek eutēktos, easily melted : eu-, eu- + tēktos, melted (from tēkein, to melt).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek εὔτηκτος (eutēktos, "easily melted"), from εὖ (eu, "well") + τήκω (tēkō, "to melt").

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Examples

  • This is called the eutectic point and any concentration of salt above or below this point will result in a solution with a freezing point higher than - 6°F.

    Chapter 7 1983

  • In the freeze-drying process, vitrification (also termed eutectic solidification) occurs in the unfrozen fraction between the ice crystals which are sublimated in an endothermic process.

    PLoS ONE Alerts: New Articles Dity Natan et al. 2009

  • Phase 2 of Japan's study focused on four basic reactor designs: sodium-cooled with MOX and metal fuels, helium-cooled with nitride and MOX fuels, lead-bismuth eutectic-cooled with nitride and metal fuels, and supercritical water-cooled with MOX fuel.

    Fast neutron reactors (FBR) 2009

  • Liquid metal (Pb or Pb-Bi eutectic) cooling is at low pressure by natural convection (at least for decay heat removal).

    Generation IV nuclear reactors 2009

  • There were some designs from an old USSR program that used a eutectic mix of lead and bismuth for a similar purpose, heated to liquefy the metal.

    Archive 2008-02-01 James Killus 2008

  • This means you would be able to tell alot about say the actual structure of the mantle and the internal workings of the earth - I sort of felt a vagueness that eutectic and peritectic stuff should make an appearance but as I can't really remember what that was all about the reality is probably very far away from my comprehension :/

    Snell-Pym » Deep Stuff 2008

  • Iron melts at 1565C, unless in the presence of other compounds under controlled conditions, at which a “eutectic” of iron and sulfur can melt at 1000C.

    Extreme Temperatures Involved in WTC Collapse 2008

  • There were some designs from an old USSR program that used a eutectic mix of lead and bismuth for a similar purpose, heated to liquefy the metal.

    The Philosopher's Stone James Killus 2008

  • This “eutectic” was discovered by FEMA, and by fire researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and confirmed by this team of physicists and researchers.

    Extreme Temperatures Involved in WTC Collapse 2008

  • He has confirmed a “eutectic” of sulfur in once-molten steel, which a FEMA analysis also found but did not explain, and confirmed the presence of once-molten iron spheres the USGS discovered in dust samples.

    How I Came To Distrust the Official 9/11 Conspiracy Theory 2008

Comments

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  • Gotta love this one!

    February 9, 2009

  • If calmness is hard, then affect it,

    With practice you may well perfect it.

    Though news, deeply felt,

    May tempt you to melt,

    Stay cool and be less eutectic.

    May 9, 2019

  • This is very good qms.

    May 9, 2019