Outgassings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The release of gas from a material, especially during heating or chemical processes
2. The process in which substances emit gases, often observed in materials like plastics or foams
3. A phenomenon where volatile compounds are expelled from a solid or liquid through physical or thermal changes

Etymology: "Outgassings" is simply the plural of "outgassing," the noun for the process by which a substance releases trapped or dissolved gases, most often seen in plastics, foams and other materials exposed to heat or vacuum. The plural form is used when referring to several such events or to the gases released across different materials. The base word is built from "out" and "gas," with the "-ing" ending turning the verb "outgas" (to release gas) into a noun for the action itself. Its sense is literal: a material gives off gas into its surroundings, much as the word "gas" itself, a 17th-century coinage by the Flemish chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont, names the substance that such a release produces.

Synonyms: emissions, releases