Prill

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪl

A variant of purl, 17th century.

Full definition of prill

Verb

1. to flow, spurt

Noun

1. a rill, a small stream
2. (obsolete) a spinning top

Origin unknown. OED mentions Cornish pryl "sheep-droppings" as a likely loan from English.

Noun

1. a pellet, a granule, a small bead
• 2000, R. R. Fullwood, Probabilistic Safety Assessment in the Chemical and Nuclear Industries, page 275Prills are free-flowing pellets developed for fertilizer as a coarse product with little setting tendency that can be spread easily and smoothly.
• 2007, Stan A. David, Trends in Welding Research: Proceedings of the 7Th International, page 661The resulting solution is evaporated and converted into prills, i.e. dense flakes or grains, of solid ammonium nitrate.
2. rich copper ore remaining after removal of low-grade material; a droplet of copper suspended in molten slag
3. (mining) A nugget of virgin metal.
4. The button of metal from an assay.

Verb

1. to produce pellets by forming a molten substance into droplets which solidify while falling

Synonyms

• pelletize

Derived terms

• prilling
• prill sulfur

Noun

1. The brill, a kind of flatfish.----