Convection
nounThe transfer of heat through a fluid such as air or water by the movement of the heated material itself.
How to spell convection
10 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce convection
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does convection mean?
- nounThe transfer of heat through a fluid such as air or water by the movement of the heated material itself.
Convection in a sentence
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The fan oven cooks evenly because convection circulates the hot air.
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Warm currents rising from the radiator are an example of convection.
Where does convection come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word descends from the Latin verb convehere, meaning 'to carry or bring together', which combined con- ('together') with vehere ('to carry' or 'to convey'). From the perfect stem came the noun convectio, literally 'a carrying together'. English adopted the term in the early 1800s as physicists needed a precise word for the way heat is transported through a fluid as warmer, less dense material rises and cooler material sinks, effectively carrying energy along with the moving substance. The same vehere root that means 'to carry' also gives us the everyday words 'vehicle', 'convey', and 'conveyor', all of which involve carrying something from one place to another. Remembering that the middle of the word is 'vect' (a carrier) rather than 'vec' or 'veck' helps fix the spelling, since the idea is literally heat being carried.
How the word is built
- con- (together)
- vect (carry, from Latin vehere 'to carry')
- -ion (noun-forming suffix)
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