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Glite Dictionary
residence time

residence time

1 7.4
The time something stays in one place before it moves, for example water in a reservoir
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛzɪdəns taɪm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tiempo de residencia
  • The scientist measured the residence time of pollutants in the river to assess their environmental impact.
  • long residence time
  • short residence time
  • pools with residence time

Examples

  • What is the influence of this source of gases on atmospheric CO2 residence time since 1850?

    Blog text (30)

  • "In this stage, we are controlling the turbulence and maintaining a residence time of 2 seconds."

    Academic text (1995)

  • The longer residence time means that fewer injections are needed.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Eight Mile Lake's long residence time and tea-colored waters reduce its productivity.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Other boreal and arctic lakes have much shorter residence times.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Because hylans are less water-soluble than natural hyaluronan, they have a longer residence time in the joint.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Some of these vehicles are powered by air-breathing engines and have long residence times in the air-breathing corridor.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Atmospheric warming results from the water vapor's long residence time and the thin air and low temperatures at such high altitudes.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Eugene Perry estimated groundwater residence times of 10 to 100 years in parts of the northern Yucatan Aquifer (1990).

    Academic text (2000)

  • Thus, the development and onset of PNL depend on pool sizes and their residence times (McMurtrie and Captains 1996).

    Academic text (2004)

Synonyms

residency
vsresidence time
28 4.9

Living at an address that is your official home for legal matters

focuses on the duration something stays before leaving or replacement
estancia
vsresidence time
8.2

A period of staying in a place for a short time

refers to a measured period something remains before moving or being replaced

How Long

long time
∞ 1.0
residence time
  • Specialized
1 7.4
short-term
225 3.3
moment
∞ 1.0
instant
232 1.0

Surface Forms

residence time singular
residence times plural

Morphology

residence + time

The meaning 'the period during which something remains in a place' is directly and compositionally built from 'residence' (state/period of staying) + 'time' (duration). This nominal compound follows a transparent 'X time' pattern (i.e. 'time of X') found across languages and registers, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the meaning, even though the term is more common in technical contexts.

Etymology

Residence time comes from a simple image: a guest in a house and how long they stay. Residence is the place you stay and time is how long you stay, so the phrase means 'the period something stays in a place before moving on'.