Definition

1. Noun:
   • The minimum speed an object must have to overcome the gravitational pull of a celestial body and move away from it indefinitely without further propulsion. This is a fundamental concept in physics and astronautics, describing the critical speed required to break free from a planet's or star's gravity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The rocket must achieve escape velocity to leave Earth's orbit and travel to Mars.
  • Calculating the escape velocity of a planet depends on its mass and radius.
  • Jupiter has a much higher escape velocity than Earth due to its greater mass.

Advanced Usage

• Conceptual Use: The term can be used metaphorically to describe a critical threshold needed to break free from a powerful influence or system.
  • The startup needed significant investment to reach the escape velocity from the competitive market.

Variants and Related Words

• Orbital velocity (n): The speed required for an object to maintain a stable orbit around a celestial body, which is less than escape velocity.
• Gravitational field (n): The region of space around a mass where its gravitational force is exerted.

Synonyms

• Critical cosmic speed (technical synonym).
• Parabolic velocity (technical synonym, as the object follows a parabolic trajectory).

Related Phrases

• To reach/achieve escape velocity: The act of attaining this critical speed.
  • The spacecraft successfully achieved escape velocity.
• Escape velocity from [object]: Specifying the celestial body.
  • The escape velocity from the Moon is much lower than from Earth.

Notes

This is a specific scientific term. Its core meaning is physical, but it sees occasional figurative use in economics, business, and social sciences to describe breaking free from a dominant force or situation.

Noun

1. the minimum velocity needed to escape a gravitational field