1657 J. Watts Scribe, Pharisee iii. 68 Our way of superfusion, or aspersion with water.

1674 M. Hale Difficiles Nugæ ii. 29 The often use of Mercury even in the Torricellian Experiment, but especially, where there is occasion of frequent Superfusion or Infusion of Water in the operation, will certainly much alter its Texture.

1791 Analyt. Rev. Jan. 33 An emblem of baptism by immersion and superfusion.

1852 T. R. Armitage Hydropathy applied to Acute Dis. ii. 64 He must..be kept in [the bath], and the superfusion continue until he becomes quiet and more rational.

1867 J. W. Hales in F. W. Farrar Ess. Liberal Educ. 307 Is what is called classical instruction at our schools anything better than a more or less copious superfusion of facts?

1871 G. H. Napheys Prevention & Cure Dis. ii. ii. 455 In cases of delirium tremens with high fever, what is called cold superfusion may be used while the patient is held in the warm bath.

1953 Brit. Jrnl. Pharmacol. & Chemotherapy 8 321/1 A piece of intestine may be suspended in air and kept in good condition by a stream of a suitable solution running over its surface... This technique may be called superfusion, since the fluid runs over the tissue, by analogy with perfusion, in which the fluid runs through the tissue.

1980 Nature 3 Jan. 92/2 Superfusion of these slices for 2 min with Krebs' solution containing added KCl..increased the tritium overflow.

2001 S. Mense et al. Muscle Pain vii. 174/1 (caption) The superfusion was performed in such a way that the exposed spinal cord..was continuously covered with a thin film of fluid.

1846 Chemist Oct. 448/1 In the case of many bodies, particularly those easily subjected to superfusion, these two values are confounded.

1866 Sci. Rev. Dec. 145/3 There is..a marked difference between the circumstances in which solidification takes place in superfusion and supersaturation.

1880 W. C. Roberts Introd. Metall. 31 The cooling mass of molten metal does not ‘flash’ or pass through the remarkable state known as ‘superfusion.’

1921 Sci. Amer. Monthly Aug. 138/1 The greater the distance between the actual temperature and the equilibrium temperature the higher the degree of this super-fusion.

2008 F. Serradj & R. Guemini in J. Hirsch et al. Aluminium Alloys I. 614 One needs rates of solidification approach[ing] 10⁶ K/s and a relatively large degree of superfusion before significant quantities of a solid phase can be formed.