porosity

po·ros·i·ty | \ pə-ˈrä-sə-tē

How to pronounce porosity (audio)

, pȯ-\

plural porosities

Definition of porosity

1a : the quality or state of being porous

b : the ratio of the volume of interstices of a material to the volume of its mass

2 : pore

Examples of porosity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Given its lack of porosity, quartz does not require periodic application of a protective sealer. — Jeff Reina, Houston Chronicle, "GHBA Remodelers Council: Choosing the right countertop when remodeling," 2 Nov. 2019 The fibers increase the strength and flexibility of the mix while ensuring a high porosity for better anchorage for plant roots. — Charles Curkin, ELLE Decor, "Will Your Home Soon Be Made of Green Charcoal Bricks?," 22 Sep. 2019 The biggest was increased porosity, or the number of open spaces, in the micro-structure of the cement. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Why Astronauts Are Mixing Cement Aboard the International Space Station," 21 May 2018 This in turn reduces microbial activity in the soil and thereby its porosity is greatly affected. — Nandita Jayaraj, Quartz India, "The coffee plantations of India’s western ghats are being wrongly blamed for climate change," 4 Sep. 2019 The researchers subjected these samples to a variety of analyses, from porosity to ability to conduct heat. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, "Viking History Is Melting Away in Greenland," 11 July 2019 The North Face can adjust the porosity, hardiness, and stretch of Futurelight by tweaking the density of the fibers, the thickness of the membrane (by laying more or fewer fibers), and the amount of glue used to adhere the fabric’s layers together. — Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, "On the Slopes in the North Face Futurelight Shell," 10 June 2019 The second is the porosity of urban boundaries: the creation and preservation of active in-between places that keep different urban realms connected rather than cut off from each other. — Shlomo Angel, WSJ, "‘Building and Dwelling’ Review: A Manifesto for the Open City," 6 July 2018 Juričić worked with Arup to develop the shape, which was created with generative algorithms that use parameters like the room’s shape, the archetypal form of Mediterranean pergolas, and desired porosity to inform the pergola’s final form. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Ethereal 3D-printed pergola debuts at Venice Architecture Biennale," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'porosity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about porosity

Dictionary Entries near porosity

Statistics for porosity

Last Updated

15 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for porosity

The first known use of porosity was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

carouse

to engage in dissolute behavior

Test Your Vocabulary

Pass the Little Ribbons: A Pasta Word Quiz

Match the pasta to its meaning in English: Rotelle

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.