michelson-morley experiment
noun
Simple meaning
A celebrated experiment conducted by Albert Michelson and Edward Morley.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
mihkuhlsuhnmrleeikspehruhmuhntIPA pronunciation (US)
mɪkəlsənmɹliɪkspɛɹəmənt
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
A celebrated experiment conducted by Albert Michelson and Edward Morley; their failure to detect any influence of the earth's motion on the velocity of light was the starting point for Einstein's theory of relativity
physicshistorical
An attempt in 1887 to detect the existence of the luminiferous aether by comparing the speed of light in perpendicular directions.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: A celebrated experiment conducted by Albert Michelson and Edward Morley; their failure to detect any influence of the earth's motion on the velocity of light was the starting point for Einstein's theory of relativity
Used this way, michelson-morley experiment is a specialist word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It turns up most in academic writing contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Clinical and detached
Where it naturally appears
- Academic writing
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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