Etymology
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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.

Entries linking to adiabatic

-ic 

Middle English -ik, -ick, word-forming element making adjectives, "having to do with, having the nature of, being, made of, caused by, similar to," from French -ique and directly from Latin -icus or from cognate Greek -ikos "in the manner of; pertaining to." From PIE adjective suffix *-(i)ko, which also yielded Slavic -isku, adjectival suffix indicating origin, the source of the -sky (Russian -skii) in many surnames. In chemistry, indicating a higher valence than names in -ous (first in benzoic, 1791).

In Middle English and after often spelled -ick, -ike, -ique. Variant forms in -ick (critick, ethick) were common in early Modern English and survived in English dictionaries into early 19c. This spelling was supported by Johnson but opposed by Webster, who prevailed.

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."

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Definitions of adiabatic

adiabatic (adj.)
occurring without loss or gain of heat;
adiabatic expansion
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near adiabatic

adhere

adherence

adherent

adhesion

adhesive

adiabatic

adiaphorous

adieu

adios

adipose

Adirondack

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