superheat

[ noun soo-per-heet; verb soo-per-heet ]

noun

1. the state of being superheated.
2. the amount of superheating.

verb (used with object)

1. to heat to an extreme degree or to a very high temperature.
2. to heat (a liquid) above its boiling point without the formation of bubbles of vapor.
3. to heat (a gas, as steam not in contact with water) to such a degree that its temperature may be lowered or its pressure increased without the conversion of any of the gas into liquid.

superheat

/ ˌsuːpəˈhiːt /

verb

1. to heat (a vapour, esp steam) to a temperature above its saturation point for a given pressure
2. to heat (a liquid) to a temperature above its boiling point without boiling occurring
3. to heat excessively; overheat

superheat

/ so̅o̅′pər-hēt′ /

1. To heat a substance above a phase-transition temperature without the transition occurring. For example, water can be heated above its boiling point without boiling; the introduction of an impurity or physical disturbance can then trigger boiling. Superheating is an example of hysteresis.
2. Compare supercool

Derived Forms

• ˌsuperˈheater, noun

Other Words From

• super·heater noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of superheat¹

First recorded in 1855–60; super- + heat

Example Sentences

Today, the plant is still buzzing with life: Nuclear fission, in the deep heart of the plant, continues to superheat water to 600 degrees at 150 times atmospheric pressure.

From Los Angeles Times

The workaround, historically, has been to energize powerful magnets that keep fusion-ready gases floating in a confined vacuum, sometimes while being bombarded with lasers that superheat them.

From Salon

But that bargain may be Faustian, he argues, as our dependence on unchecked industrial combustion threatens to superheat the planet into an overdrive of uncontrolled, unsurvivable blazes.

From Los Angeles Times

Today Saudi Arabian engineers plan to build a plant with giant mirrors that concentrate sunlight and superheat water within a steel-and-glass dome more than 50 meters across.

From Scientific American

Once again, charges of revolutionary and counter-revolutionary cabals would superheat the political climate.

From Salon