Skip to main content
metamaterial

metamaterial

2 9.4
A man-made substance built with tiny parts to show new effects like bending light or sound
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛtəˈmætɪrəl/
  • Specialized
: metamaterial
  • The path of light through vacuum around black holes is illustrated quite faithfully with metamaterials.
  • metamaterial cloaking
  • optical metamaterial
  • metamaterials or plasmonic

Examples

  • Kymeta's technology uses something called "metamaterials," artificial materials that can manipulate electromagnetic radiation that can steer a radio signal toward a satellite, thereby creating a continuous broadband link.

    Blog text (16)
  • The class of materials needed is not to be found in nature and is known as metamaterials.

    Blog text (3)
  • However, the one thing missing from their paper is a working example of a metamaterial with negative compressibility.

    Blog text (9)
  • Clearly, a metamaterial with negative compressibility would have some interesting applications.

    Blog text (9)
  • Elements, metamaterial suicide organisms, and rivers; experiences, however.

    Blog text (21)
  • How to Make a Metamaterial that Expands Under Pressure and Contracts in Tension

    Blog text (9)
  • BUT large-scale metamaterial applications need to be built and proved workable in real life.

    Academic text (2012)
  • "As groundbreaking as it is, the satellite antenna technology behind Kymeta only scratches the surface of what metamaterials can do."

    Blog text (16)
  • Insulating metamaterials wound counterclockwise in the shunt cabling.

  • Researchers have developed a new metamaterial that can improve the efficiency of solar panels.

Surface Forms

metamaterial singular
metamaterials plural

Morphology

metamaterial = material (opaque) = meta + material

Although the form is built from 'meta' + 'material', the specialized scientific meaning is not directly recoverable for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Metamaterial comes from the Greek part meta- meaning 'beyond' or 'change' and the familiar word material meaning a substance. So a metamaterial is a substance made to have properties 'beyond' those of natural materials.