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Glite Dictionary
hydrostatic head

hydrostatic head

8.4
The height of liquid that makes pressure at a point below it
  • noun
  • /ˌhaɪdrəˈstætɪk hɛd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cabeza hidrostática
  • The hydrostatic head of the water in the tank determines how much pressure is exerted at the bottom.

Examples

  • Therefore, the weight of the column of ballast mixture will exert a hydrostatic head pressure within the ballast tube.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Air was pumped in and allowed to bubble out of the bottom at a pressure that was stabilized by the hydrostatic head of water.

    Academic text (2005)

  • I saw this on the top the IT was basically a hydraulic, hydraulical map of the, the hydrostatic head between Yosemite and San Francisco.

  • Their conclusions demonstrate that the Roman hydrodynamicists, although working without the benefit of modern analytic techniques, were surprisingly sophisticated in their handling of large flow volumes and sometimes large hydrostatic heads.

    Academic text (2003)

  • In engineering, understanding the hydrostatic head is essential for designing efficient water supply systems.

  • To calculate the hydrostatic head, you must measure the vertical height of the liquid column in the pipe.

Synonyms

pressure
vshydrostatic head
744 1.9

A push on a surface by air or water

represents that force as an equivalent vertical liquid column
head
vshydrostatic head
  • Specialized
33 7.2

A measure of liquid or gas pressure

expresses that force specifically as a vertical liquid column height

Surface Forms

hydrostatic head singular
hydrostatic heads plural

Morphology

hydrostatic + head

The meaning is directly compositional: 'hydrostatic' relates to fluid pressure at rest and 'head' is a standard measure of liquid height/pressure, so together they denote the pressure expressed as a liquid column height. Although technical, the compound follows regular scientific word-formation and would be understandable to a learner who knows both constituent meanings.

Etymology

Hydrostatic head comes from the simple image of a tall column of water: the higher the column, the more pressure at the bottom. So head means the water 'height' and is used to show the 'pressure' at a point.