capillary action
1
5.8
- noun
- /kəˈpɪl.ə.ri ˈæk.ʃən/
- Specialized
:
acción capilar
- The microfluidic devices use capillary action to move fluids passively.
Examples
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The water in the plant's stem is drawn upward by capillary action from the ground.
Blog text (4) -
The wastewater is drawn upwards along the tank wall by capillary action into the soil filtration beds.
Academic text (2009) -
In the latter case, water drawn by suction and capillary action to the soil surface would evaporate and leave the soluble salts behind.
Academic text (1990) -
He theorized that capillary action, the attraction between liquids and surfaces that pulls water through thin tubes, might keep the water cycling around the bowl.
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The water in the plant's stem is drawn upward by capillary action from the ground.
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Mosses take up water through capillary action and pass the moisture from cell to cell.
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The oil soaked into the rag through a process called capillary action, where a liquid seeps into the tiny spaces.
Synonyms
Liquid moving up or down in a thin tube because of surface tension
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the process by which a liquid moves through a narrow space' is directly derivable from combining 'capillary' (relating to very thin tubes or narrow spaces) with 'action' (a process). This is a compositional noun+noun phrase following transparent semantic modification, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Capillary action comes from the image of very thin tubes, called capillaries, where a liquid can 'climb' because it sticks to the tube walls and to itself. So, capillary action means 'liquid moving through a very narrow space', like water rising in a plant stem or ink spreading in paper.