cybotaxisn.
/sʌɪbəʊˈtaksɪs/ Physics.
An arrangement of molecules in a liquid (see quot. 1927 for cybotactic adj. at Derivatives).
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cybotaxis1941
1941 Nature 22 Nov. 617/1 There are..two main types of conception of liquid structure..(1) group and (2) statistical conceptions... The most elegant development of the group type of conception is Stewart's theory of ‘cybotaxis’. In this the groups are considered to be of transitory nature, continually forming and disappearing.
Derivatives
cyboˈtactic adj. of or pertaining to cybotaxis.
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the world > matter > chemistry > physical chemistry > liquid phase > [adjective] > of or relating to cybotaxis
cybotactic1927
1927 G. W. Stewart & R. M. Morrow in Physical Rev. 30 233 The present paper..interprets the space array..not as caused by fragmentary crystals, but by a type of molecular arrangement wherein there is combined mobility of the component molecules and yet a recognizable space array. To this state is given the name ‘cybotaxis’, which means ‘space-arrangement’. The adjective is ‘cybotactic’. A new word is necessary in order to distinguish this state from that called ‘crystalline’.
1948 Sci. News 8 96 Their views fit in well with Stewart's theory that liquids have a ‘cybotactic’ structure, viz., that there are small aggregates of molecules arranged as they would be in a crystalline particle.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
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n.1927