Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality or state of being turbid: Turbidity refers to the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by a large number of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, such as sediment, silt, or microorganisms.
   • A measure of water clarity: In scientific and environmental contexts, turbidity is a key indicator of water quality, measuring how much suspended material interferes with light passing through the water.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The heavy rains increased the river's turbidity, making the water look muddy.
  • Scientists measure turbidity to assess the health of an aquatic ecosystem.
  • High turbidity in drinking water can be a sign of contamination.

Advanced Usage

• "Turbidity current": A rapid, downhill flow of water caused by increased density due to suspended sediments.

  • Turbidity currents on the ocean floor can carve out deep submarine canyons.

• "Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU)": The standard unit of measurement for turbidity.

  • The sample had a turbidity of 5 NTU, which is within the safe limit for drinking water.

Variants and Related Words

• Turbid (adj): Cloudy, opaque, or muddy; not clear.

  • The pond water was too turbid to see the bottom.

• Turbidness (n): A less common synonym for turbidity.

  • (Technical) The turbidness of the sample was recorded.

Synonyms

• Cloudiness: The state of being cloudy or opaque.
• Muddiness: The quality of being muddy or sediment-filled.
• Opacity: The condition of lacking transparency.

Antonyms

• Clarity: The quality of being clear and transparent.
• Limpidity: The quality of being perfectly clear.
• Translucency: The property of allowing light to pass through diffusely.

Related Phrases and Concepts

• "Secchi disk": A tool used to measure the turbidity of water by determining the depth at which it disappears from view.

  • Researchers lowered a Secchi disk to measure the lake's turbidity.

• "Suspended solids": Particles that cause turbidity by being suspended in a liquid.

  • The test measures both turbidity and total suspended solids.

Noun

1. muddiness created by stirring up sediment or having foreign particles suspended