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supercritical

[ soo-per-krit-i-kuhl ]

adjective

  1. extremely critical.
  2. Physics. pertaining to a mass of radioactive material in which the rate of a chain reaction increases with time.


supercritical

/ ˌsuːpəˈkrɪtɪkəl /

adjective

  1. physics (of a fluid) brought to a temperature and pressure higher than its critical temperature and pressure, so that its physical and chemical properties change
  2. nuclear physics of or containing more than the critical mass
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • super·criti·cal·ly adverb
  • super·criti·cal·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of supercritical1

First recorded in 1600–10; super- + critical
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Example Sentences

Other suggested techniques, such as supercritical water oxidation or plasma reactors, have the same drawbacks.

From Salon

The concept of "supercritical coupling" plays a pivotal role in addressing these challenges.

Instead, Castro-González says, the water exists in a supercritical state between a liquid and a gas.

Environmental Protection Agency primary authority to issue the kind of permit McLaughlin and his team will need to pump large volumes of carbon dioxide, pressurized into a high density “supercritical” state, underground.

The resulting carbon dioxide drives the turbine in a form known as a supercritical fluid.

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