Superfluidity

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The property of certain fluids to flow without viscosity or resistance at temperatures near absolute zero
2. A physical state in which a fluid can move smoothly and endlessly without friction under extremely cold conditions
3. The phenomenon where fluids exhibit zero viscosity and flow effortlessly when cooled to very low temperatures

Etymology: Superfluidity is a compound built in English from two parts. The first, "super-", comes from Latin "super", meaning "above" or "over", and it is the same prefix that appears in words like superb and supernatural. The second part, "fluidity", descends from Latin "fluere", "to flow", through the French "fluidité". Put together, the word describes a state that goes beyond ordinary fluidity. That "beyond" is literal in the physics. Ordinary liquids resist flowing past solid surfaces and lose energy through internal friction, which is why water in a pipe slows down. A superfluid flows with no measurable viscosity at all, so it can keep moving indefinitely once set in motion. The prefix therefore marks a fluidity so complete that it exceeds the everyday kind.

Synonyms: superfluid phenomenon