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Definition of "capillarity" []

  • The interaction between contacting surfaces of a liquid and a solid that distorts the liquid surface from a planar shape. Also called capillary action. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "capillarity" in a sentence
  • "The word capillarity is of Latin derivation, and signifies hair-like slenderness."
  • "As already explained on page 10, a process called capillarity enables moisture to rise in the soil as plants need it."
  • "Between them there lies a thin film of water, drawn in by the attraction known as capillarity, which sucks the fluid into a sponge or between plates of glass placed near together."