Condensation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌkɒn.dɛnˈseɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. The process by which a gas or vapor transforms into liquid form, typically when cooled or compressed
2. The transformation occurring when a vapor changes into a liquid state, often as a result of cooling or pressurization
3. The change from a gaseous state to a liquid form, usually triggered by a decrease in temperature or increase in pressure

Etymology: Condensation is one of those words whose original sense was about density rather than water. The Latin verb "condensare" meant to make something thick or compact, from "com-" (together, intensively) and "densare" (to make dense, from "densus"). Latin "condensatio" carried that idea of packing material tighter, and English took the noun over with that compacting sense before the modern meteorological one took hold. The shift to vapour and water came from the idea that a substance was being squeezed into a denser, more solid state. Once people understood that steam could be packed back into liquid, the same word covered that process too, so a term for making something compact came to describe clouds forming on a cold window and dew forming on grass.

Synonyms: precipitation, liquefaction, moisture, dew, fog

Antonyms: evaporation, dryness, aridity, drought, desiccation