Meanings
dewar1
plural dewars · alternative Dewar
- A vacuum flask; a vessel which keeps its contents hotter or cooler than their environment without the need to modify the pressure, by interposing an evacuated region to provide thermal insulation between the contents and the environment.
A large thermos-like container called a dewar contained 645 gallons of liquid helium to be cooled to within two degrees of absolute zero.
2009 February 17, Guy Gugliotta, “Perseverance Is Paying Off for a Test of Relativity in Space”, in New York TimesSynonyms: Dewar bulb, Dewar flask, Dewar tube, Dewar vessel, vacuum flask, vacuum thermos, vacuum thermos bottle, vacuum thermos bulb
Dewar2
plural Dewars
- countableuncountableA surname from Scottish Gaelic.
- countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States.
- countableuncountableA city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States.
plural Dewars · alternative dewar
- A glass or metal double-walled flask for holding a liquid without much loss or gain of heat; a vacuum bottle or thermos. Generally used for scientific purposes and in particular for cryogenic work.
Synonyms: Dewar bottle, Dewar bulb, Dewar flask, Dewar vessel
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA vacuum flask; a vessel which keeps its contents hotter or cooler than their environment without the need to modify the pressure, by interposing an evacuated region to provide thermal insulation between the contents and the environment.
nounA glass or metal double-walled flask for holding a liquid without much loss or gain of heat; a vacuum bottle or thermos. Generally used for scientific purposes and in particular for cryogenic work.
More synonyms by meaning
nounvacuum flask that holds liquid air or helium for scientific experiments
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
dewar · noun
Named after British physicist and chemist James Dewar, its inventor.
Full word history & related roots →Dewar · proper noun, noun
- Scottish Gaelicdeòradh“pilgrim, stranger”
- EnglishDewar
From Scottish Gaelic deòradh (“pilgrim, stranger”), an occupational surname for a custodian of holy relics. It could also be an habitational surname, from Dewar, Scottish Borders. The flask is named for James Dewar, who is credited with its invention.
More words from Scottish Gaelic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 保温瓶
- 保温瓶 (bǎowēnpín)vacuum flask
Finnish Dewar-astia
- Dewar-astiavacuum flask
Polish termos
- termosvacuum flask
Rhymes & wordplay
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
dewar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dewar
“dewar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dewar. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dewar,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dewar.
Source: dewar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.