Rheologies

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A branch of science that studies the flow of matter, particularly in relation to the deformation of materials under applied forces
2. The study of how different substances respond to stress and strain, including their viscosity and elasticity
3. Analyzing the complex behaviors of various materials when subjected to forces, focusing on their flow and deformation characteristics

Etymology: "Rheologies" is simply the plural of "rheology," so what it describes is the plural of a single field of study. The field itself was named in 1920 by the American scientist Eugene C. Bingham, who took up a suggestion from his colleague Markus Reiner. The name draws on a line attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, "panta rhei," meaning "everything flows," which survives in a commentary by Simplicius of Cilicia. Bingham built the new term from the Greek verb "rhein," meaning "to flow," joined to the suffix "-logia," the "study of" ending found in words like "biology." The result was a science of flow, covering how liquids, gases and soft solids deform and move under stress.