Main Entry:

van der Waals forces

Pronunciation:

\ˈvan-dər-ˌwȯlz-, ˈvän-dər-ˌvälz-\

Function:

noun plural

Etymology:

Johannes D. van der Waals †1923 Dutch physicist

Date:

1939

: the relatively weak attractive forces that act on neutral atoms and molecules and that arise because of the electric polarization induced in each of the particles by the presence of other particles