convect

verb

con·​vect kən-ˈvekt How to pronounce convect (audio)
convected; convecting; convects

intransitive verb

: to transfer heat by convection

transitive verb

: to circulate (something, such as air) by convection
convective adjective

Examples of convect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The mantle will convect as hot rock rises from deep in the Earth to the surface. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2023 In 1979, a French scientist, Albert J. Libchaber, observed the same cascade of period doublings in the temperature fluctuations in the center of a convecting fluid. Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 18 July 2019 Soon the street was alive with cool zephyrs that convected over the xeriscaped lawns and twined around the cacti and Little Free Libraries and the bare knees and ankles of the people of Lima Street. Cory Doctorow, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2018 A moon rock brought back by astronauts from the last Apollo mission in 1972 has finally proven its worth by revealing that the moon used to have a hot, convecting molten core that generated a magnetic field. Clara Moskowitz, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2009

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'convect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from convection

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of convect was in 1881

Dictionary Entries Near convect

Cite this Entry

“Convect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convect. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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