saturationn.
/ˌsatʃəˈreɪʃn/, /ˌsatjᵿˈreɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌsætʃəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ I. General uses.† 1. Complete satisfaction of the appetite; satiation; an instance of this. Obsolete.† 2. The state in which matter is contracted into the smallest possible space. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > contentment or satisfaction > [noun] > satisfying of a desire
satisfactiona1382
repletion?a1425
saturation?1530
satiety1548
suffisance1548
?1530 Dialoges Creatures Moralysed lxxxiii. sig. EE.iii After yowr sufficient saturation ye come to the londe and deuowre owre leuyng.
?1555 M. Coverdale tr. Hope of Faythful xxxi. 212 For tediousnesse and grefe runneth customably wyth saturacion or fulnesse.
1651 J. Robotham Expos. Solomons Song 131 Christ feeds his people even to saturation (as I may say) he gives them a full meal of his spirituall dainties.
1718 I. Mather Sermons vii. 112 The Greek Word Chostazo, implies not only a refection, but a satisfaction, a plenary Saturation.
1791 R. Townley Jrnl. kept Isle of Man II. 106 Those cows that feed on them [sc. seaweeds]..yield more milk, than those of the inland parts, that have not the same commodity for their saturation, sustenation, and nourishment.
1816 J. Bentham Extract Constit. Code: Official Aptitude Maximized 16 For the perpetual saturation of appetites essentially unsaturable.
1832 L. Hunt tr. W. de Mapes Jovial Priest's Confession in Poet. Wks. 243 When I have eat and drank—yea, ev'n to saturation.
1908 L. B. Hazzard Fasting as Cure for Dis. x. 104 When near the point of complete saturation, appetite will hesitate for a moment.
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1659 H. More Immortality of Soul i. ii. 13 To both these may be applied the termes of Reduplication and Saturation: The former when Essence or Substance is but once redoubled into it self or into another; the latter when so oft, that it will not easily admit any thing more.
3. The action of thoroughly soaking something with liquid, or of becoming thoroughly soaked, esp. to the point where no further liquid can be absorbed or retained; the condition of being thoroughly soaked.
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the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > condition of being or making very wet > [noun]
saturation1732
waterloggedness1854
soddenness1883
sogginess1884
soppiness1895
squishiness1929
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > condition of being or making very wet > [noun] > action or process
soak1598
drenching1626
sobbing1664
saturation1732
flooding1799
swamping1802
drench1807
water-soaking1849
soddening1852
soakage1867
1732 P. Delany Revelation examined with Candour I. xi. 135 The saturation of it with rain and salts, on that occasion, together with the constant supply of moisture from the clouds ever since, must effectually take off that curse.
1802 Repertory of Arts 2nd Ser. 1 276 This evidently shews, that earth is capable of holding a very great proportion of water..and that earth far under the point of saturation with moisture is still fit to support vegetation.
1824 Morning Chron. 28 Jan. He walked over the land in October, 1822, and found it much injured by saturation.
1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 555 I am wet through, but it is not uncomfortable at this temperature,..if you can..forget the risk of fever which saturation entails.
1960 Pop. Mech. Apr. 189/1 The nozzles permit complete adjustment of spray—from large volume, coarse droplets for quick saturation, to a fine mist that is ideal for watering seedlings and slow soaking.
1991 Westcoast Logger July 14/3 Heavy rain and soil saturation are major contributors to slides.
2002 Countryman Apr. 71/2 It always amazes me how so many frail insects can survive the saturation and chill of our winter.
4.
a. In non-physical and abstract senses: the state of being filled to capacity with, or completely permeated or imbued with, something; exhaustive or all-pervasive coverage, provision, treatment, etc.
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the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > [noun] > fullness or completeness > fullness or exhaustiveness
fullness1622
saturation1813
the full treatment1950
1813 Boston Patriot 14 Aug. Our counting rooms filled to saturation with debts to foreign traders.
1816 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 18 Sept. From the present saturation of the country with papers..it may be well doubted whether the number of newspapers in the United States will be more than doubled within the next fifty years.
1847 H. Miller First Impressions Eng. viii. 141 A long series of historic events had served..to fill with it to saturation every recess of the popular mind.
1967 Times 19 Oct. 8/1 The roads of Britain were close to saturation.
1990 Field & Stream Mar. 100/2 When your child's foggy stares start signaling saturation, it's time to call it a night.
b. spec. (chiefly Economics and Business). The fact or state of a market being fully supplied, sometimes to the point of oversupply.
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1835 Westm. Rev. Jan. 238 As progress was made towards the saturation of the market with the things in first demand, you would see the others appear one after the other upon the stage.
1926 Scribner's Mag. Aug. 242/2 The industrial movement certainly did not foreshadow sudden contraction of buying orders, reflecting ‘saturation’ of the consuming market through past instalment purchases.
2015 A. Palmer Smart Money i. ii. 45 An initial period of early adoption [of an innovation] gives way to a period of..rapid growth, which..eventually leads to saturation.
II. In scientific and other technical uses.
5. Chemistry. The state or condition of a substance when combined with or holding in solution the largest proportion of another substance that it can take; the process by which this condition is brought about; the extent to which a substance is combined with or dissolved compared with the maximum possible. Cf. saturated adj. 3a, 3b.
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the world > matter > physics > [noun] > specific concepts or principles of > condition in which a quantity stops increasing
saturation1662
the world > matter > physics > [noun] > specific concepts or principles of > condition of holding maximum suspended matter
saturation1662
the world > matter > physics > energy or power of doing work > [noun] > condition of being maximally charged with
saturation1662
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical reactions or processes > [noun] > chemical reactions or processes (named) > saturation
saturation1662
the world > matter > chemistry > physical chemistry > solutions > [noun] > saturation
saturation1662
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical substances > [noun] > condition of > specific
saturation1662
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > heat > [noun] > full capacity
saturation1662
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > arrangement in crystal > [noun] > high spin temperature
saturation1662
the world > matter > physics > quantum theory > electron spin > [noun] > non-absorption by lattice
saturation1662
the world > space > place > presence > fact of taking up space > [noun] > filling > bringing to capacity
saturation1662
topping up1890
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > decomposition of light, spectrum > study of spectra > [noun] > instrument used in > loss of resolution
saturation1662
1662 F. H. tr. J. Poleman Novum Lumen Medicum v. 29 Presently there will appear a dry, Volatile double salt, tasting neither of spirit of Vitriol, nor of spirit of Urine, because they worked into one another, and changed themselves on both sides, which action and reaction may well be called saturation [Ger. sätigung].
1788 J. Hutton Theory Earth 236 Fluor, a saturation of calcareous earth, with a peculiar acid, called the acid of spar.
1857 W. A. Miller Elements Chem. (1862) III. 231 It then produces a base..which requires two atoms of a monobasic acid for its saturation.
1883 Chambers's Jrnl. 332 Deeper down [in the Dead Sea] the salinity amounts to saturation.
1933 S. W. Cole Pract. Physiol. Chem. (ed. 9) iii. 88 Complete saturation with magnesium sulphate or half-saturation with ammonium sulphate is generally believed to precipitate the globulins.
1998 Review (Rio Tinto plc) June 20/1 By the sixth pond the brine reaches ‘salting point’ (sodium chloride saturation).
2015 Gazette (Tasmania) (Nexis) 22 Apr. (Lifestyle section) 1 Oxygen levels have recently been very low in the salt water layer, particularly at high tide, when oxygen levels often drop to less than 5 per cent saturation.
6. The state or condition of a substance (typically a gas) containing as much suspended matter as possible.
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1774 J. A. de Luc Acc. New Hygrometer 52 These phænomena of the dew become very interesting examined with the help of the hygrometer, and joined to observations of the degrees of saturation of the air with respect to water.
1799 H. Davy in T. Beddoes Contrib. Physical & Med. Knowl. 34 Since the word gas..is intended to express the chemical combination, or rather the saturation of bodies with caloric.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxiv. 174 An atmosphere charged to saturation with aqueous vapour.
2016 C. D. Ahrens & R. Henson Meteorol. Today (ed. 11) iv. 96/2 Saturation is more likely to occur in cool air than in warm air.
7. Magnetism.† a. The state or condition of being magnetized to the greatest degree which can be retained without the inductive action of a magnetic field. Cf. remanence n. 3. Obsolete.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > magnetism > [noun] > magnetized condition > to maximum strength
saturation1787
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrically induced magnetism > electromagnetic induction > [noun] > maximum production
saturation1787
1787 T. Cavallo Treat. Magnetism i. vii. 92 As soon as it is removed from the vicinity of the magnet, its power begins to decrease, and in a short time comes down to that degree which the piece of steel is capable of, and which may be called its point of saturation.
1889 A. W. Poyser Magnetism & Electr. iv. 35 Magnetic Saturation... A magnet is said to be saturated when it is magnetised to a strength which it can permanently retain.
b. The state or condition of being magnetized to the greatest possible degree, so that any further increase in magnetizing force will not produce an appreciable increase in magnetization.
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1824 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 114 214 There would be no limit to the attractive force developed in the steel wires, until they were magnetised to saturation.
1881 Electrician 10 Dec. 58/1 If in any substance all the molecules are made to face accurately in one direction, that substance is magnetised to saturation, and it is impossible to magnetise it any more.
2013 A. Waygood Introd. Electr. Sci. xv. 146 As we increase the current flowing through the coil, the magnetic field strength increases and the flux density increases, following the curve until saturation is reached at point a.
8. The state or condition of a gas that is at but not above the boiling point of its liquid form, in which its gaseous and liquid forms are in thermal equilibrium. Frequently as a modifier, as in saturation pressure, saturation temperature, etc.A gas in a state of saturation has been provided with the maximum amount of heat that it can accept while remaining in thermal equilibrium with its liquid form.
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the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > [noun] > pressure > fluid pressure > vapour pressure > specific
saturation pressure1826
1826 Philos. Mag. 68 37 The entire heat in a given weight of steam in a state of saturation must be the same at all temperatures.
1874 F. Salter Econ. in Use Steam iv. 33 Where a steam jacket is used the increased temperature, that is the saturation temperature, is retained without decrease of weight.
1955 Sci. Amer. Mar. 74/2 For every temperature there is a ‘saturation vapor pressure’ at which the rates of escape and of deposit at a step balance. Under these conditions the crystal does not grow. It can grow only when the vapor is supersaturated.
2005 K. E. Heselton Boiler Operator's Handbk. i. 18/1 Understanding saturation is the key to understanding steam explosions.
9. Chemistry. The process of converting an unsaturated compound, molecule, etc., into a saturated one (saturated adj. 3c); the condition of a compound, esp. a hydrocarbon or other organic compound, of having no double or triple bonds in its molecule; the degree to which a compound is saturated; cf. unsaturation n.
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1865 A. W. Hofmann in Chem. News 20 Oct. 422 The saturation of these two units by the trivalent nitrogen atom left 3 − 2 = 1 attraction unit disengaged: in a similar manner, if the saturation be effected by the quadrivalent carbon atom, 4 − 2 = 2 attraction units must remain unsaturated.
1902 J. B. Cohen Theoret. Org. Chem. xvii. 240 The saturation of one unsaturated carbon atom necessitates that of the other.
1912 Bot. Gaz. 54 543 In the developing seedling..the intensity of consumption of the fatty acids originating from the fats is inversely proportional to the degree of saturation.
1968 A. A. Baker Unsaturation in Org. Chem. vi. 71 His formulas..illustrate the progressive saturation of a diatomic carbon molecule to acetylene, to ethylene, and to completely saturated ethane.
2001 L. Perretta Brain Food 19/1 Fatty acids come in different lengths and degrees of saturation.
10. Originally: the concentration of a gas, esp. oxygen, in the blood. In later use also (esp. with reference to deep-water diving and other activities performed under conditions of unusual barometric pressure): the maximum concentration of inert gases present in body tissues at a given pressure; the production or maintenance of such a maximum concentration; the period of time during which such a concentration is maintained. Frequently as a modifier (see Compounds 2).
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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of blood > [noun] > other blood disorders
diacrisis1684
melanaema1788
mal-crasis1854
saturation1872
myeloid metaplasia1931
abetalipoproteinaemia1960
acanthocytosis1960
myelodysplasia1966
the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > movement in or on water > [noun] > underwater swimming > an act of
saturation1872
skin dive1936
saturation dive1949
goggle-dive1953
1872 Brit. & Foreign Medico-chirurg. Rev. 49 525 With further depression of the oxygen pressure the saturation of the blood still further diminishes.
1896 E. H. Snell Compressed Air Illness x. 210 The saturation of the whole blood of the body, with its full amount of gases, on entry to compressed air, must be a matter of time.
1917 Geogr. Jrnl. 49 42 The strain can be gauged by considering the relative capacities for saturation of the blood at different heights under the respective alveolar pressures which would obtain after acclimatization.
1971 J. K. Summitt et al. in C. J. Lambertsen Underwater Physiol. 519 A study of five trained men during compression to a simulated depth of 1000 FSW, during subsequent saturation at this pressure for 77 hr and 30 min, and during decompression.
1975 Offshore Engineer Dec. 7/2 A 17-day saturation involving six divers at depths of up to 260m carried out by Strongwork Diving (International) has given a British company a new record.
2004 Observer 28 Mar. (Mag.) 26/2 His blood saturation dropped, he was placed in an oxygen hood, and I was warned that he might need a respirator.
11.
a. The degree of intensity or vividness of a colour. Cf. hue n.1 3c.Saturation has been variously conceived of as representing the relative freedom from admixture of white, black, or grey, a common standard measure of the saturation of a colour being the difference, in some respect, between it and a shade of grey having the same brightness.
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the world > matter > colour > quality of colour > [noun] > saturation
saturation1872
colour saturation1888
chroma1889
1872 A. H. Church Colour iv. 34 This admixture destroys the saturation of the colour, reducing its tone.
1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage i. 12 The hues are all used at their full strength or saturation, i.e. they are not diluted in any way by black or white.
2009 M. Changizi Vision Revol. i. 37 If you keep a color's hue and saturation fixed while changing its brightness, there will be a perceivable color change.
b. (The name of) a control on an electronic display used to adjust the saturation of the colours of an image. Often as a modifier in saturation control.
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society > communication > broadcasting > television > transmitting or receiving apparatus > [noun] > television set > control to adjust colours
saturation1956
1956 Financial Times 4 Apr. 9/6 The three extra controls are a ‘colour killer’—which turns the set into an ordinary black and white receiver, a ‘hue’ control to line up the colours, and a ‘saturation’ control which in effect is colour brightness.
1968 Guardian 5 July 8/5 There is a secondary colour knob marked either ‘saturation’ or ‘colour’ which enables you to control the shade you receive.
2003 Philadelphia Inquirer (Nexis) 7 Aug. c9 Three settings for metering; the ability to accommodate various converter lenses; six settings for picture quality; and saturation and contrast controls.
12.
a. The state or condition of an electric current that has attained its maximum value, so that any further increase in voltage will not produce an appreciable increase in current. Now somewhat rare.In later use, esp. with reference to transistors; cf. sense 12b(b).
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > thermionic valve > [noun] > specific condition of valve
saturation1896
1896 London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 5th Ser. 42 394 It is evident that this saturation must occur if the current destroys the conducting power of the gas.
1994 Sensors & Actuators A. 40 169/1 When the voltage Vce..is lower than 10 V, the output current is in saturation.
b. Electronics.
(a) The state of operation of a thermionic valve in which the anode is attracting all of the electrons emitted by the cathode, so that any further increase in anode voltage will not produce an appreciable increase in current.
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1920 Proc. Physical Soc. London 33 109 It will be observed that with this tube saturation is far from being attained at that voltage.
1962 D. F. Shaw Introd. Electronics x. 192 Other cathode materials, such as metallic oxides, do not exhibit full saturation.
2012 M. Blencowe Designing Valve Preamps for Guitar & Bass (ed. 2) i. 4 Valves are not normally designed to be operated at saturation as this can be damaging to the cathode's surface.
(b) The state of operation of a transistor in which the current at the collector or drain terminal is at a maximum, so that any further increase in voltage will not produce an appreciable increase in current.In a bipolar junction transistor, this occurs when both the base-collector and base-emitter junctions become forward-biased, resulting in the transistor acting like a short circuit between the collector and emitter.
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the world > matter > physics > solid state physics > semiconductivity > transistor > [noun] > specific state of operation
saturation1949
1949 Bell Syst. Techn. Jrnl. 28 467 Patches in the p-n junction will tend to introduce leakage paths and destroy saturation in the reverse direction.
2014 C. Papadopoulos Solid-state Electronic Devices iii. 116 The large amount of charge stored in the base and collector at saturation can cause considerable delay during switching.
13. Psychology. With reference to the theory of two-factor analysis put forward by C. E. Spearman (1863–1945) in regard to the testing of mental ability: the degree to which the general factor of intelligence (g) dominates or saturates the specific factor or ability in question. Sometimes more fully intellective saturation. Now chiefly historical.
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the mind > mental capacity > psychology > developmental psychology > acquisition of knowledge > test of mental ability > factor analysis > [noun] > effect of general factor
saturation1904
1904 C. S. Spearman in Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 15 276 Intellective saturation, or extent to which the considered faculty is functionally identical with General Intelligence.
1904 C. S. Spearman in Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 15 277 Mathematics, for example, has a saturation of 74 and Common Sense has one of about 96.
1951 R. H. Thouless Gen. & Social Psychol. (ed. 3) xxiii. 367 This degree of dependence on the general factor was called by Spearman the saturation with g of the ability in question; the term more commonly used at the present time is the general factor loading.
2003 P. L. Ackerman & D. F. Lohman in H. Nyborg Sci. Study Gen. Intelligence iv. xiv. 276 Spearman pointed out that the measures of intelligence with the highest g saturation were grades in ‘Classics’ and peer ratings of ‘Common Sense’.
14. In nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: the state or condition in which the numbers of nuclei occupying higher and lower energy levels are equal, resulting in no more radiation being absorbed and the disappearance of the signal.
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1946 Physical Rev. 70 987/2 We measured the relaxation time by observing the onset of saturation as the r-f voltage is increased.
2006 G. S. Rule & T. K. Hitchens Fund. Protein NMR Spectroscopy ii. 56 A more efficient strategy is to scan more frequently, but to use less than a 90 pulse to reduce the effect of saturation.
15. A softly distorted and compressed quality imparted to a sound when the voltage of its audio signal exceeds the maximum at which it can be faithfully reproduced by a circuit, esp.: (a) that which occurs when sound is recorded onto magnetic tape at an amplitude that causes the tape to approach or exceed the point of magnetic saturation (more fully, tape saturation); (b) that which occurs when an amplifier employing thermionic valves is overdriven (more fully, tube saturation, valve saturation). In later use also: such a quality deliberately imparted to a sound using a device or software designed specifically for that purpose.Saturation is often thought to have a pleasing musical quality that adds presence and warmth to a sound, and is frequently employed in some genres of music for that purpose.Saturation occurring in an overdriven amplifier is not necessarily produced by saturation ( 12b(a)) of the valves. For example, saturation in this sense can instead be the result of current flowing from the grid of a valve into the input circuit.
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1981 S. Keene Pract. Techniques for Recording Engineer (ed. 2) 59 Tape saturation is one kind of tape distortion.
2003 P. Prown & L. Sharken Gear Secrets of Guitar Legends 41 He [sc. Van Halen] ran the amp's controls cranked to the max, often using a Variac to manipulate the power so that the tubes would run much hotter than usual—a practice that enhances the amp's warmth and saturation, but shortens the life span of the power tubes.
2006 FutureMusic July 56/4 If you're looking for distortion, it's here—from mild valve saturation to over-the-top fuzzed-out madness.
2013 B. K. Shepard Redefining Sound viii. 189 Engineers frequently use saturation to warm up a sound, or to give it an ‘analog’ quality.
Phrases
point of saturation n. the point at which saturation occurs (in various senses of the noun); frequently figurative; cf. saturation point n. at Compounds 3. [Originally after post-classical Latin punctum saturationis (1666 in the passage translated in quot. 1677).]
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1677 J. W. tr. O. Tachenius Hippocrates Chymicus x. 25 It is made much more excellent and perfect from crude Vitriol dissolved in water, and Liquor of Tartar poured upon it, until it cease to be troubled, which point of Saturation [L. puntum saturationis] is not found without difficulty, for if it exceed but one drop, it turns the mixture either into Vitriol or Alcaly.
1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. 20 The instant when such proportions of the two saline substances are mixed together, that the one is incorporated with as much of the other as it can possibly take up, is called the Point of Saturation.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. iv. ix. 298 Reliance for probity was placed..on the greatness of the salaries; as if there were a point of saturation in cupidity.
1882 A. Geikie Text-bk. Geol. iii. ii. ii. §1. 328 This vapour remains invisible until the air containing it is cooled down below its dew-point, or point of saturation.
1955 Trans. Amer. Inst. Electr. Engineers 74 652/2 There is a very sudden and sharp point of saturation where the voltage across the core winding will drop to zero.
2013 A. Nava Wonder & Exile in New World i. 11 Though wonder and exile are universal experiences, my study argues that they reach a point of saturation in the momentous events surrounding the Discovery of the New World and in the bewildering events that follow.
Compounds
C1. As a modifier. Designating an activity intended to achieve the complete saturation (chiefly in sense 4a) of its object; characterized by or otherwise associated with such activity.
a. Military. With reference to intensive bombing or shelling operations, esp. when intended to achieve total destruction. See also saturation bombing n. at Compounds 3, saturation-bomb vb. at Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > [adjective] > type of bombing
strategic1918
saturation1942
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > thoroughgoing
thorough1566
thoroughgoing1719
whole hog1829
full-blooded1832
whole-hogging1904
saturation1942
society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > advertising > types or methods of advertising > [adjective] > other types of advertising
institutional1919
solus1937
saturation1942
pull-through1963
1942 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 29 Aug. 1/4 The heavy bombers used the ‘saturation’ technique of attack by which great numbers of bombers crowd into the air space over their targets.
1943 Time 6 Sept. 36/3 Of the 73 raids Berlin had experienced, this was the worst, the first of the kind of saturation raids that had wrecked Hamburg.
1958 Listener 5 June 950/3 Mrs. Ancsa's father had been killed in a saturation air-raid.
2016 Australian (Nexis) 29 Oct. 2 Bids are being sought for a combination of sensors and weapons that will provide a screen out to several kilometres, able to counter even saturation attacks from the air.
b. Later more generally, applied to activity (especially a specific episode of activity, such as a campaign) which is carried out very comprehensively or intensively or to a very full extent, esp. beyond the point regarded as necessary or desirable.Used especially in advertising, marketing, and the broadcast media.
ΚΠ
1947 Pittsburgh Courier 22 Mar. 6/2 The tendency has been exaggerated of late years due to saturation advertising, tempting displays of conveniences and luxuries in show windows and on motion picture screens.
1957 D. T. Clark & B. A. Gottfried Dict. Business & Finance 314/2 Saturation selling involves making a product available in every outlet in an area, and using every possible means of sales promotion.
1971 Wall St. Jrnl. 13 Aug. 14/1 He came to realize such journalism is possible through ‘saturation reporting’.
1977 Time 28 Nov. 29/2 As the deadline arrived.., West Germany's national airline responded with a policy of saturation security for its 411 daily scheduled flights worldwide.
2003 National Post (Canada) 20 May a13/1 Young people should not be exposed to saturation marketing of alcohol, which he said was fuelling a ‘drink to get drunk’ culture.
2019 Guardian (Nexis) 27 Feb. The judge..believed the saturation media coverage of the first verdict would inevitably prejudice that future trial.
C2. As a modifier, in sense 10.
saturation dive n. (a) a shallow dive during which the diver's body tissues undergo saturation with inert gases (disused); (b) a dive made by the technique of saturation diving.
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the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > movement in or on water > [noun] > underwater swimming > an act of
saturation1872
skin dive1936
saturation dive1949
goggle-dive1953
1949 O. E. van der Aue et al. Effect Exercise during Decompression (U.S. Navy Exper. Diving Unit) 67 Such ‘saturation’ dives can produce symptoms which are usually the result of supersaturation of the ‘slow’ body tissues.
1965 Naval Res. Rev. Aug. 13 One of the major keys to achieving the capability of making deep saturation dives safely is the breathing-gas formula.
1974 Daily Tel. 22 Feb. 7/6 The record saturation dive in the North Sea was 621ft. The diver took a day to get down, and after surfacing spent 3½ days in a decompression chamber.
2006 Sunday Mail (Glasgow) (Nexis) 26 Nov. (News section) 1 I'd have to do saturation dives for six months and then take the next six months off to recover.
saturation diver n. a diver using the technique of saturation diving.
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the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > movement in or on water > [noun] > underwater swimming > one who
diver1511
urinator1648
skin-diver1892
frogman1945
free-diver1951
aqualunger1952
goggle-diver1953
frogwoman1963
scuba-diver1963
snorkeller1963
saturation diver1966
1966 Man's Extension into Sea (Trans. Joint Symp. Marine Technol. Soc. Pt. 3) 188 This decompression complex will permit relatively comfortable habitation for saturation divers during the lengthy decompression.
1975 BP Shield Internat. May 5/4 It is..not uncommon for saturation divers to spend from two to three weeks under saturation conditions.
2017 Northern Territory (Austral.) News (Nexis) 26 Dec. (News section) 5 The workers were saturation divers, who do the most dangerous work of divers employed on the project, often doing vital repairs to ocean floor pipes.
saturation diving n. a technique of diving used esp. for prolonged work in deep water, in which saturation of the diver's body tissues with inert gases (usually helium or a mixture of helium and nitrogen) is carried out prior to the dive and maintained throughout it, allowing a single period of decompression at the end.Saturation diving sometimes entails living underwater for as long as several weeks.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > movement in or on water > [noun] > underwater swimming
urination1697
diving1743–5
skin-diving1905
free-diving1948
scuba1952
aqualunging1953
goggle-diving1953
sub-aqua1957
snorkelling1959
scuba-diving1962
saturation diving1965
saturated diving1967
scubaing1973
1965 Def. Industry Bull. Nov. (verso front cover) The experiment utilized a new technique called saturation diving, which means that the divers' bodies became saturated with high pressure gas.
1974 Daily Tel. 22 Feb. 7/6 Bone necrosis is a growing fear connected with saturation diving.
2014 Sunday Express (Nexis) 7 Sept. (Features section) 57 Jacques Cousteau and his aquanauts first created a camp for living underwater in the 1960s,..proving that saturation diving was safe.
C3.
saturation-bomb v. transitive to subject to saturation bombing (literal and figurative).
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society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > attack with aircraft [verb (transitive)] > drop (bombs) > bomb > heavily
plaster1914
saturate1918
coventrate1940
paste1942
carpet-bomb1944
saturation-bomb1950
1950 Portland (Maine) Sunday Telegram & Sunday Press Herald 20 Aug. a20/2 (caption) The assault was opened the day after U. S. B 29s saturation-bombed Red troop concentrations northwest of Waegwan.
1980 Courier-Express (DuBois, Pa.) 4 Feb. 13/4 Lewis..has been saturation bombing the capitol newsroom with news releases.
2000 Toronto Star (Nexis) 12 July The king relied on his strong-willed wife for guidance, particularly through the darkest moments of World War II when the Luftwaffe saturation-bombed London.
saturation bombing n. intensive and exhaustive bombing of a target area; also figurative and in extended use (cf. Compounds 1b).
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1942 Neosho (Missouri) Daily Democrat 27 June 1/4 The city [sc. Bremen] is reported still burning more than 24 hours after the British saturation bombing.
1956 Times of India 4 Oct. 8/1 The press, the radio, the television and the cinema are the many media used for such ‘saturation bombing’.
1975 R. H. Rimmer Premar Exper. (1976) i. 19 The days when we believed we could change things—like the draft, or the saturation bombing of Vietnam, or the Pentagon running the universities.
2001 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 30 Aug. d1/4 A kind of saturation bombing of brand names and product messages.
2018 China Daily (Nexis) 6 Mar. The US's saturation bombing of the DPRK during the Korean War.
saturation charge n. Science the degree to which something must be charged (esp. with magnetism or electrical charge) for saturation (in various senses) to occur.
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1879 L. Cumming Introd. Theory Electr. (ed. 2) viii. 221 The law of direct proportionality only holds until the magnetism has reached about one-half the saturation charge.
2010 J. E. Harry Introd. Plasma Technol. vi. 111 The larger particles have higher saturation charge due to their size.
saturation current n. (a) the greatest amount of current that can be carried by a gas (obsolete); (b) Electronics the amount of current at the anode of a thermionic valve or the collector or drain terminal of a transistor during saturation (sense 12b).
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electric current > [noun] > maximum
saturation current1896
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > [noun] > maximum current for device
saturation current1896
the world > matter > physics > solid state physics > semiconductivity > transistor > [noun] > specific state of operation > current in
saturation current1896
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > thermionic valve > [noun] > specific condition of valve > current of
saturation current1896
1896 London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 5th Ser. 42 403 The saturation current depends only on the number of conducting particles produced by the rays.
1929 B.B.C. Year-bk. 1930 450/2 As the anode voltage applied to a three-electrode valve is increased, the anode current also increases up to a point, when a further increase in anode voltage does not increase the anode current. This maximum value of the current is called the ‘saturation current’.
1954 L. M. Krugman Fund. Transistors iii. 43 The saturation current is composed of two components. The first is formed by thermally generated carriers which diffuse into the junction region. The second component is an ohmic characteristic which is caused by surface leakage across the space charge region.
2000 J. Breithaupt Understanding Physics for Adv. Level (ed. 4) xxvii. 562 The saturation current depends on the filament current.
saturation experiment n. an experiment involving finding and measuring the point of saturation (in various senses).
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1881 H. Watts Dict. Chem.: 3rd Suppl.: Pt. II 1826 From gravimetric saturation-experiments, the composition of the sulphate appears to be 3C22H35NO6, H2SO4.
1990 EMBO Jrnl. 9 3968/1 These were determined in saturation experiments using the oligodeoxy nucleotide BS2-18..as the ligand.
2007 Microbial Ecol. 53 3/1 The appropriate isotope concentration was evaluated by saturation experiments.
saturation factor n. Science any of several quantities used in calculations relating to saturation (in various senses).
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1884 S. P. Thompson Dynamo-electr. Machinery xii. 214 Its effective value is best expressed by introducing a saturation-factor in the following way.
1908 Trans. Amer. Inst. Electr. Engineers 1907 26 1801 The saturation factor is..a criterion of the degree of saturation attained in the magnetic circuits.
2007 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104 1755/1 The saturation factor that describes the saturation of the electron Zeeman transition.
saturation point n. the point at which saturation (in various senses) occurs; frequently figurative; cf. point of saturation n. at Phrases.
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the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > [noun] > fullness or completeness > in which no increase or change is possible
saturation point1848
1848 Jrnl. Asiatic Soc. Bengal 17 ii. 360 Measure the saturation point by dividing the tension at the dew point by that at the ordinary temperature.
1858 O. W. Holmes Autocrat of Breakfast-table v. 52 The saturation-point of each mind differs from that of every other.
1927 Sunday Times 13 Feb. 2 Those controlling the industry realize that the world production of motor-cars has by no means reached saturation point.
2016 T. Garrison & R. Ellis Oceanogr. (ed. 9) vi. 173 The air is cooled to the saturation point, and some of its water vapor condenses into fog droplets.
saturation recording n. Electronics and Computing a method of magnetic recording in which data is recorded as a series of magnetized regions, each magnetized to saturation and in one direction only.Each direction represents one of the binary digits, ‘0’ or ‘1’.
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1954 Trans. Amer. Inst. Electr. Engineers 73 i. 382/1 Two-level saturation recording on the magnetic surface.
2008 IEEE Trans. Magnetics 44 3503/1 Reduction of the film thickness of an intermediate layer between a recording layer and a soft underlayer..is important for saturation recording.
saturation time n. Science the time taken for a body, substance, or device to undergo saturation (in various senses); the time during which a body, substance, or device is undergoing saturation.
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1897 Electr. World 1 May 552/1 The suggestion of a new method of studying the saturation time of iron magnets and the reactance lag in electrical circuits by means of this instrument is ingenious.
1969 J. J. Sparkes Transistor Switching i. 23 The turn-off time is divided into two parts. First the saturation time,..during which the saturation charge..is used up and the collector current does not significantly change. Second, the fall time.
2005 B. D. Scott in A. Dinklage et al. Plasma Physics viii. 180 Tokamak turbulence typically has a dynamical scale of order 1, a correlation time of order 10, a saturation time of at least order several hundred, [etc.].
saturation weapon n. a weapon (typically a missile, missile system, or bomb) capable of exerting destructive force over a wide area, overwhelming enemy defences; a bomb, rocket, or missile used in saturation bombing.
ΚΠ
1945 Brit. War Production 1939–45 xxiv. 76/1 An outstanding example of the barrage use of the rocket was the saturation weapon fired from specially converted landing craft.
1998 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 21 Feb. (News & Features section) 37 Most of the dead were almost certainly killed unlawfully: either by British and American ‘saturation’ weapons which, by any measure, qualified as ‘weapons of mass destruction’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?1530- with one's ears on
- with one's etc in the butter
- with one's eyes closed
- with one's eyes shut
- with one's finger in one's mouth
- with one's finger up one's ass
- with one's finger up one's sometimes arse
- with one's force
- with one's goodwill
- with one's hand in the cookie jar
- with one's hands
- with one's hands free
- with one's hands in the cookie jar
- with one's head in the air
- with one's head in the clouds
- with one's heart
- with one's heels foremost
- with one's heels forward
- with one's nose in the air
- with one's nose in the butter
- with one's own goodwill
- with one's pants down
- with one's soul
- with one's tongue hanging out
- with one's tongue in one's cheek