Definition of "pyroelectric" [pyr•o•e•lec•tric]

• Relating to or exhibiting pyroelectricity. (adjective)
• A pyroelectric material. (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.

• "At its heart are two opposing "pyroelectric" crystals that create a strong electric field when heated or cooled."
• "It is also strongly pyroelectric which means that temperature changes can cause the development of positive and negative charges within the crystal."
• "The crystal is one of a group of pyroelectric materials, so named because they create electric fields when they change temperature."