Centrifuge

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛntɹɪˌfjuːdʒ/

Definitions

1. A machine that separates materials by spinning them rapidly to create centrifugal force, thereby isolating components of varying densities
2. An apparatus that utilizes high-speed rotation to differentiate substances based on their density by applying centrifugal force
3. A device that rapidly rotates items to create centrifugal force, allowing for the separation of components with differing densities or physical properties

Etymology: The word is built from Latin "centrum" ("center") and "fugere" ("to flee"), so its literal sense is "center-fleeing": a force that pushes things away from the middle. The machine takes its name from that force. Spinning a sample rapidly makes its heavier parts press outward, away from the axis, and the device exploits this to separate substances of different density. The English word was borrowed from French "centrifuge", which was itself formed from the same Latin pieces. The pattern "-fuge" ("that which flees or drives away") appears in other scientific coinages, such as "vermifuge", a substance that expels worms, so the element is a productive building block rather than a single inherited term. The word is a technical coinage, not an ancient one. Its roots are classical, but the compound was formed in modern scientific language to name the outward-driving effect and the apparatus that uses it.

Synonyms: spinner, separator