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Origin and history of adiabatic

adiabatic(adj.)

"without transference, impossible (to heat)," 1838, with -ic + Greek adiabatos "not to be passed" (of rivers, etc.), from a- "not" (see a- (3)) + diabatos "to be crossed or passed, fordable," from dia "through" (see dia-) + batos "passable," from bainein "to go, walk, step" (from PIE root *gwa- "to go, come"). In thermodynamics, of a change in volume without change in heat.

also from 1838

Entries linking to adiabatic

a-(3)

prefix meaning "not, without," from Greek a-, an- "not" (the "alpha privative"), from PIE root *ne- "not" (source also of English un-).

In words from Greek, such as abysmal, adamant, amethyst; also partly nativized as a prefix of negation (asexual, amoral, agnostic). The ancient alpha privatum, denoting want or absence.

Greek also had an alpha copulativum, a- or ha-, expressing union or likeness, which is the a- expressing "together" in acolyte, acoustic, Adelphi, etc. It is from PIE root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with."

dia-

before vowels, di-, word-forming element meaning "through, in different directions, between," also often merely intensive, "thoroughly, entirely," from Greek dia "through; throughout," probably cognate with bi- and related to duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two") with a base sense of "twice."

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