Meanings
nounZ-pinch (plural Z-pinches)
plural Z-pinches
- A kind of plasma confinement system that uses an electrical current in the plasma to generate a magnetic field that compresses it.
Synonyms: zeta pinch
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA kind of plasma confinement system that uses an electrical current in the plasma to generate a magnetic field that compresses it.
Similar
Also see
Origin
Z refers to the direction of the current in the devices, the z-axis on a normal three-dimensional graph.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Z-pinch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Z-pinch
MLA
“Z-pinch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Z-pinch. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Z-pinch,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Z-pinch.
Source: Z-pinch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.