Friction
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈfɹɪkʃən̩/
- Rhymes: -ɪkʃən
Origin
From Middle French friction and directly from Latin frictionem, nom. frictio ("a rubbing, rubbing down")
Noun
friction
(uncountable)- The rubbing of one object or surface against another.
- 2013, Henry Petroski, Geothermal Energy, Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.
- Conflict, as between persons having dissimilar ideas or interests; clash.
- (physics): A force that resists the relative motion or tendency to such motion of two bodies in contact.
- 1839, Denison Olmsted, A Compendium of Astronomy Page 95Secondly, When a body is once in motion it will continue to move forever, unless something stops it. When a ball is struck on the surface of the earth, the friction of the earth and the resistance of the air soon stop its motion.