Brownian movement
- noun
- /ˈbraʊniən ˈmuːvmənt/
- Specialized
:
movimiento browniano
- Scientists explain Brownian movement as the random motion of particles caused by collisions with surrounding molecules.
Examples
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The researchers observed Brownian movement in the suspended particles under the microscope.
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They look like they're little particles and Brownian movement, you know, or forming lines and so on.
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Fuel substances tend to be perpetually in Brownian movement.
Blog text (31) -
Temperature is caused by atoms moving about (Brownian movement).
Blog text (29) -
More genius per square mile than any place else, all wound tight with creative tension and heated by Brownian movement.
Blog text (1) -
In a liquid, Brownian movement can be seen as tiny particles constantly changing direction.
Synonyms
1
7.3
Tiny particles in a liquid or gas move randomly when molecules hit them
Random movement of tiny particles in a liquid or gas caused by hits from molecules
How Active
- Specialized
1
4.8
73
3.2
- Specialized
38
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
Given knowledge of the constituents, the phrase is directly compositional: 'Brownian' (relating to the random motion of particles) combined with 'movement' (motion) yields the meaning 'random motion of particles'. The only caveat is that 'Brownian' is a technical, proper-name-derived adjective and would be opaque if the learner only knew the name 'Brown' and not the adjective sense, but assuming the learner knows the provided constituent meanings the MWE is transparent.
Etymology
Brownian movement comes from the scientist Brown, so Brownian names him and the word movement describes the tiny jumps he saw under a microscope. Those tiny jumps are caused by many small hits from the liquid, so the phrase now means the 'random' motion of very small particles.