supercool

A scientist supercools a sample of pure water in a laboratory.

Definition

1. Verb (Physics):
   • To cool below freezing without solidifying: "supercool" means to cool a liquid to a temperature below its normal freezing point without it turning into a solid. This state is thermodynamically unstable but can persist under controlled conditions.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Scientists can supercool water to -10°C before it suddenly freezes. (They cool it below 0°C without it becoming ice.)
  • The liquid was supercooled in the laboratory for an experiment. (It was cooled past its freezing point while remaining liquid.)

Advanced Usage

• "to supercool a substance": to apply the process of supercooling to a material.
  • By carefully removing impurities, you can supercool pure water easily. (You can achieve the supercooled state by purifying the water.)

Variants and Related Words

• Supercooled (adjective): describing a liquid that has been cooled below its freezing point without solidifying.

  • The supercooled liquid remained stable for several minutes. (The liquid stayed in its liquid state despite being below freezing.)

• Supercooling (noun): the process or phenomenon of cooling a liquid below its freezing point without it freezing.

  • Supercooling occurs naturally in some clouds, leading to ice formation. (The natural process of supercooling happens in the atmosphere.)

Synonyms

• Under cool: (less common) to cool to a point below the normal freezing threshold.
• Chill below freezing: (descriptive) to reduce temperature past the freezing mark.

Related Idioms

• (None common in everyday English; this term is primarily technical and scientific.)

Phrasal Verbs

• (None; "supercool" is used as a single verb, not as a phrasal verb.)