entropy

en·tro·py

noun \ˈen-trə-pē\

plural en·tro·pies

Definition of ENTROPY

1

: a measure of the unavailable energy in a closed thermodynamic system that is also usually considered to be a measure of the system's disorder, that is a property of the system's state, and that varies directly with any reversible change in heat in the system and inversely with the temperature of the system; broadly : the degree of disorder or uncertainty in a system

2

a : the degradation of the matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity b : a process of degradation or running down or a trend to disorder

3

: chaos, disorganization, randomness

— en·tro·pic \en-ˈtrō-pik, -ˈträ-pik\ adjective

— en·tro·pi·cal·ly \-pi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Origin of ENTROPY

International Scientific Vocabulary ²en- + Greek tropē change, literally, turn, from trepein to turn

First Known Use: 1875

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous