supercool

[ soo-per-kool ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

to cool (a liquid) below its freezing point without producing solidification or crystallization; undercool.

verb (used without object)

to become supercooled.

adjective

very cool in temperature, especially of the maximum coolness possible: used as a setting on air conditioners.
Slang. very cool; very sophisticated, up-to-date, unemotional, etc.

supercool

/ ˌsuːpəˈkuːl /

verb

chem to cool or be cooled without freezing or crystallization to a temperature below that at which freezing or crystallization should occur. Supercooled liquids are not in equilibrium

supercool

/ so̅o̅′pər-ko̅o̅l′ /

To cool a substance below a phase-transition temperature without the transition occurring. For example, water can be cooled well below the freezing point without freezing (as often happens in the upper atmosphere); the introduction of an impurity or surface can then trigger freezing. Supercooling is an example of hysteresis.
Compare superheat

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Word History and Origins

Origin of supercool¹

First recorded in 1905–10; super- + cool

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Example Sentences

“Everything about these findings is supercool,” says Jessica Brinkworth, an evolutionary immunologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who was not involved in the study.

From Science News

supercontinent supercow

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