liquid air

American  

noun

1. a pale blue, intensely cold liquid, obtained by the compression and cooling of air: used as a source of oxygen, nitrogen, and inert gases, and as a refrigerant.

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liquid air British  

noun

1. air that has been liquefied by cooling. It is a pale blue and consists mainly of liquid oxygen (boiling pt: –182.9°C) and liquid nitrogen (boiling pt: –195.7°C): used in the production of pure oxygen, nitrogen, and the inert gases, and as a refrigerant

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Etymology

Origin of liquid air

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

"But they are too expensive to do long-term energy storage. That's where liquid air comes in."

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2020

Argon, neon, krypton, and xenon come from the fractional distillation of liquid air.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers says liquid air can compete with batteries and hydrogen to store excess energy generated from renewables.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2012

The liquid air would travel into a vacuum sealed helix made of three layers separated by only a millimeter of space.

From Scientific American • Apr. 28, 2012

The felt protects the liquid air from the heat of the air without.

From The Story of Great Inventions by Burns, Elmer Ellsworth