condenser
noun
Simple meaning
A device designed to condense a gas into a liquid, either as part of a still, steam engine, refrigerator or similar machine.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kuhndehnserSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
kənˈdɛnsɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
process engineering
A device designed to condense a gas into a liquid, either as part of a still, steam engine, refrigerator or similar machine.
process engineering
An apparatus that converts vapor into liquid
optics
Lens used to concentrate light on an object
optics
A lens (or combination of lenses) designed to gather light and focus it onto a specimen or part of a mechanism.
A dental instrument used to pack filling into a cavity in a tooth.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (process engineering) A device designed to condense a gas into a liquid, either as part of a still, steam engine, refrigerator or similar machine.
Used this way, condenser is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is an engineering use: it is a working term used for accuracy on the job.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
- Science
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Device / apparatus
Other combinations
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An unconscious process whereby two ideas or images combine into a single symbol.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Microphone consisting of a capacitor with one plate fixed and the other forming the diaphragm moved by sound waves.
Microphone consisting of a capacitor with one plate fixed and the other forming the diaphragm moved by sound waves.
A condenser having 2 or 3 lenses with wide aperture for use in microscopes.
A capacitor that provides low impedance over certain (high) frequencies.
An electrical device characterized by its capacity to store an electric charge.
A fixed capacitor consisting of two electrodes separated by an electrolyte.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.