Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
thermal barrier

thermal barrier

8.1
A limit to how fast planes or spacecraft can go because the air makes them very hot at high speed
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : barrera térmica
  • Breaking through the thermal barrier was a major milestone in the advancement of supersonic flight.

Examples

  • Engineers had to develop materials that could withstand the heat generated when approaching the thermal barrier.

  • The new jet was designed to overcome the thermal barrier and achieve greater speeds.

  • The thermal barrier protects the spacecraft from extreme heat.

  • Many engineers study thermal barriers to improve aircraft safety.

  • Breaking through the thermal barrier was a major milestone in the advancement of supersonic flight.

  • Engineers had to develop materials that could withstand the heat generated when approaching the thermal barrier.

  • The new jet was designed to overcome the thermal barrier and achieve greater speeds.

Synonyms

heat barrier
vsthermal barrier
  • Specialized
8.6

A speed limit where a plane gets so hot that its parts can be damaged

includes vehicles that fly in atmosphere and space rather than only atmospheric ones

Surface Forms

thermal barrier singular
thermal barriers plural

Morphology

thermal + barrier

Knowing 'thermal' (heat-related) and 'barrier' (an obstacle), a B1 learner can infer a general meaning like 'an obstacle or limit related to heat'. However, the specific technical sense—an aerodynamic speed limit imposed by heating (or alternatively a protective insulating layer)—is specialized and potentially ambiguous, so the exact intended meaning is not fully predictable without domain knowledge.

Etymology

Thermal barrier literally shows thermal 'heat' and barrier 'wall', creating an image of an invisible wall of heat that appears when a plane goes very fast and the air makes its parts very hot. That hot 'wall' acts like a limit, so thermal barrier means a 'limit to speed' set by dangerous heating.