Kaye effect

noun

A phenomenon where pouring a viscous mixture of an organic liquid onto a surface causes a jet of liquid to spout upward from the surface while merging with the descending one.

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Meanings

nounKaye effect (plural Kaye effects)

plural Kaye effects

  1. fluid dynamicsA phenomenon where pouring a viscous mixture of an organic liquid onto a surface causes a jet of liquid to spout upward from the surface while merging with the descending one.

Origin

Named after British engineer Alan Kaye who first described the effect in 1963.

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Cite this entry
APA

Kaye effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kaye%20effect

MLA

“Kaye effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kaye%20effect. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kaye effect,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kaye%20effect.

Source: Kaye effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.