Meanings
- not comparableNot transmitting heat.
A closed hollow solid whose athermanous sides have the same temperature (thermodynamic equilibrium) , is filled with "black-body radiation“.
2005, Axel von Starck, Alfred Mühlbauer, Carl Kramer, Handbook of Thermoprocessing Technologies3 more examples
We see also why in an athermanous body an increase of thickness does not augment the radiation, —the reason being that, since it is already athermanous, this increase cannot possibly make it absorb more heat, and therefore cannot make it radiate more.
1862, British Association for the Advancement of Science, Report of the Annual Meeting, page 100Substances which admit of radiation taking place through them are called Diathermanous. Those which do not allow heat to pass through them without becoming themselves hot are called Athermanous.
[1871, James Clerk Maxwell, Theory of Heat, page 13Substances which are transparent to visible light waves are not necessarily transparent to radiant heat waves. Thus glass is distinctly athermanous.
1915, Sir Richard Gregory, Harry Edwin Hadley, A Manual of Mechanics and Heat, page 281
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greek[Term?]
- Englishathermanous
Ancient Greek [Term?] privative + to heat: compare French athermane.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French athermane
- athermaneTranslations
Italian atermano
- atermanoTranslations
Romanian aterman
- atermanTranslations
Cite this entry
athermanous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/athermanous
“athermanous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/athermanous. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “athermanous,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/athermanous.
Source: athermanous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.