Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Turbulence |
TurbulenceNoun1. Unstable flow of a liquid or gas. 2. Instability in the atmosphere. 3. A state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally); "the industrial revolution was a period of great turbulence". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "turbulence" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1602. (references) |
Etymology: Turbulence \Tur"bu*lence\, noun. [Latin expression turbulentia: compare to the French expression turbulebce.]. (Websters 1913) |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | A state of fluid flow in which the instantaneous velocities exhibit irregular and apparently random fluctuations so that in practice only statistical properties can be recognized and subjected to analysis. Compare laminar flow.These fluctuations often constitute major deformations of the flow and are capable of transporting momentum, energy, and suspended matter at rates far in excess of the rate of transport by the molecular processes of diffusion and conduction in a nonturbulent or laminar flow. (references) |
Electrical Engineering | The motion of fluids in which local velocities and pressures fluctuate irregularly, in a random manner. Source: European Union. (references) |
| Superimposed on the mean motion of the air, an agitation composed of air motions which are uncoordinated and in a state of continuous change. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Geography | A complex spectrum of fluctuating, disordered motion superimposed on the mean flow of a liquid or gas. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mining | See:turbulent flow. (references) |
Nuclear Energy & Physics | Random motion of a plasma in which a large number of collective degrees of freedom are excited by a rapid energy transfer. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Examples of turbulence
Anecdote: a famous scientist was asked what he would ask God, given the opportunity. His laconic reply was: "Why turbulence?"See also
External Links
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Turbulence."
Synonyms: TurbulenceSynonyms: turbulency (n), upheaval (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Agitation | Turbulence, perturbation; commotion, turmoil, disquiet; tumult, tumultuation; hubbub, rout, bustle, fuss, racket, subsultus, staggers, megrims, epilepsy, fits; carphology, chorea, floccillation, the jerks, St. Vitus's dance, tilmus. |
Excitability | Noun: excitability, impetuosity, vehemence; boisterousness; Adjective: turbulence; impatience, intolerance, nonendurance; irritability; (irascibility); itching; (desire); wincing; disquiet, disquietude; restlessness; fidgets, fidgetiness; agitation; (irregular motion). |
Violence | Noun: violence, inclemency, vehemence, might, impetuosity; boisterousness; Adjective: effervescence, ebullition; turbulence, bluster; uproar, callithump, riot, row, rumpus, le diable a quatre, devil to pay, all the fat in the fire. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Just like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947. (Ghostbusters; writing credit: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.) Hey, is all this turbulence from Santa and those 8 tiny reindeer? (Cast Away; writing credit: William Broyles Jr.) | |
Lyrics | In My Turbulence (Will You Be There; performing artist: Michael Jackson) | |
Movie/TV Titles | La Turbulence des fluides (2002) Odyssey: Turbulence (1997) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Theater & Movies | |
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit |  | Tough flying in such turbulence / Gib Crockett. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | He mistrusted the turbulence and doubted the sincerity of such comradeship which seemed to him a sorry anticipation of manhood. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Business | The market "churn" of firms is closely related to the turbulence caused by product innovation. (references) | |
Economic History | St. Lucia | A period of turbulence ensued, in which squabbling within the party led to several changes of prime minister. (references) |
Venezuela | Much of Venezuela's 19th century history was characterized by periods of political instability, dictatorial rule, and revolutionary turbulence. (references) | |
South Africa | Secondly, there is considerable market turbulence as firms introduce new products and gain temporary leadership before being displaced in their turn. (references) | |
Political Economy | SWEDEN | Sweden floated the currency in November 1992 after briefly defending the krona during the turbulence in European financial markets. (references) |
BANGLADESH | The government practically gave up trying to attract foreign portfolio investment in domestic capital markets after a stock market crash in late 1996 and turbulence in other financial markets around the world in 1997 and 1998. The banking sector is now dominated by four large nationalized commercial banks. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Dwight Eisenhower | 1953-1961 | May the turbulence of our age yield to a true time of peace, when men and nations shall share a life that honors the dignity of each, the brotherhood of all. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | We know the turbulence that lies below, and the storms that are beyond the horizon this year. |
Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 | In meeting others, it knew turbulence and doubt, and fear and hate. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | Maintenance of and continued improvements in our multi-faceted intelligence effort are essential if we are to cope successfully with the turbulence and uncertainties of today's world. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Turbulence" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Turbulence" is used about 410 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 410 | 13,752 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "turbulence": air turbulence ♦ atmospheric turbulence ♦ clear air turbulence ♦ effect of turbulence ♦ frictional turbulence ♦ light turbulence ♦ moderate turbulence ♦ moderate turbulence in clear air ♦ moderate turbulence in cloud ♦ severe turbulence ♦ severe turbulence in clear air ♦ severe turbulence in cloud ♦ trail turbulence ♦ turbulence component ♦ turbulence experienced in cloud ♦ turbulence in cloud ♦ wake turbulence. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "turbulence"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | turbullirë (blur, cloudiness, commotion, fog, tumult, turbidity), trazirë (bewilderment, commotion, convulsion, disorder, dustup, fuss, hustle, outbreak, pother, qualm, queasiness, queasy, riot, ruction, shindy, turmoil, upheaval), trazim (agitation, commotion, disquiet, disquietude, distemper, disturbance, dust, elaboration, fidget, flurry, fluster, flutter, immixture, kneading, melange, mixing, mixture, perturbation, poke, turbidity). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | تمرد (contumacy, disobedience, disobey, insurgence, insurgency, insurrection, mutiny, naughtiness, rebel, rebellion, revolt, take the bit in one's hands, waywardness), إضطراب (coil, disorder, distraction, disturbance, dust, flurry, flutter, ill, nervousness, perturbation, ramp, rout, ruction, ruffle, topsy turvy, topsy-turvydom, trouble, tumult, turmoil, uneasiness, unrest, uproar), شغب (disorder, disturbance, niggling, riot, rout, rowdyism, tumult). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | турбулентност, необузданост (lawlessness, unrestraint), бурност (fierceness, roughness). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 动荡 (turbulent). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | turbulence, zmatek (anarchy, bewilderment, chaos, circus, clutter, confusion, disarray, disorder, disturbance, embroilment, fluster, hash, hodge-podge, jumble, maze, mess up, mix up, moil, muddle, Mull, nonplus, non-plus, pandemonium, perplexity, perturbation, puzzlement, shambles, stew, tangle, tempest, tumble, tumult, turmoil, turnup, upset, welter), nepokoj (commotion, disquiet, turmoil, unrest). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | turbulens (swirl, swirling, turbulent flow). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | turbulentie (turbulent flow). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | گردنکشی , تلاطم (Lop, Ruffle, Seethe, Shock, Toss), اغتشاش (Anarchy, Commotion, Disarray, Rummage, Sedition), اشوب (Alarm, Commotion, Convulsion, Misrule, Revolution, Riot, Ruckus, Sedition, Tumult, Unrest). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | turbulenssi (by turbulent flow is meant an unsteady, random motion of fluids in which the velocities fluctuate about a mean and the flows are in the form of turbulences, turbulent flow), pyörteisyys, pyörrevirtaus (turbulent flow). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | turbulence (turbulent flow). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Turbulenz (excitement, turmoil). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | βιαιότητα (asperity, truculence, truculency, violence), ανατάραξη (agitating), τύρβη (noise, rabble), τυρβώδης ροή (eddy flow, eddy flux, eddying flow, turbulent flow, turbulent flux), τυρβώδες (turbulent flow), ταραχή (agitation, apprehension, bustle, coil, commotion, consternation, disturbance, flurry, fluster, flutter, frenzy, fuss, outbreak, perturbation, pother, restlessness, riot, row, ruction, ruffle, rumpus, scrimmage, stir, trepidation, trouble, turmoil, uproar, welter), διαταραχή (derangement, disorder). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | מערבולת (swirl, vortex, whirlpool), תסיס" (agitation, effervescence, excitement, ferment, fermentation, fizz, zymosis), קלחת (commotion, kettle, turmoil, uproar), ערבול (mixing, whirl), זעזוע (agitation, concussion, convulsion, jerk, shake, shock, start, thrill, tribulation), "תפרעות (disturbance, going wild, riot), סערת רוח. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | zavargás (civil commotion, disturbance, fermentation, flare-up, riot, rioting, riotousness), zajongás (clamor, clamour, uproar), turbulencia, féktelenség (bluster, boisterousness, dash, diablerie, impetuosity, licentiousness, rampageousness, rampancy, unrestraint), duhajság. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | pergolakan (upheaval), kerusuhan (distress, disturbance, riot, unrest), gelora (enthusiasm, seething), gara-gara (just be cause). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | turbolenza (burble, turbulent flow). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 乱流 , 乱気流 (turbulent air), 大揺れ (severe quake), 不穏 (impropriety, unrest). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | おおゆれ (severe quake), ふお" (impropriety, report of a death, unrest), ら"きりゅう (turbulent air), ら"りゅう. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 소란 (fuss, turmoil). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | meereiltys (anarchy, disloyalty, disorder, irregularity, lawlessness, misrule), freayn (overflow), anvea (contention, fuss, perplexity, strife, unease). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | urbulencetay turbulência (bluster, flip, rowdyism, wildness). (various references) turbulenţã (restlessness). (various references) волнение (agitation, commotion, disturbance, effervescence, effervescency, emotion, excitement, fermentation, flutter, gurgitation, heartbeat, heave, perturbation, stew, stirring, throb, tizzies, tizzy, unrest). (various references) tuaireap, mi-riaghailt (disorder, irregularity). (various references) uskomešanost, nemir (alarm, disturbance, inquietude, restlessness, riot, turmoil, unrest). (various references) turbulencia (wildness). (various references) turbulens (swirl, swirling). (various references) türbülans, kargaşa (anarchism, anarchy, Babel, broil, chaos, coil, commotion, confusion, disarray, disorder, disturbance, earthquake, grab bag, hurly burly, moil, muss, pell mell, pellmell, rag bag, riot, rough and tumble, roughhouse, ruckus, ruction, rumpus, shemozzle, snarl, sound and fury, squall, storm, tailspin, tempest, tumult, uproar, welter), karışıklık (bedlam, bungle, cataclysm, chaos, clamor, clamour, clutter, commotion, complexity, complication, confusion, disarrangement, disorder, disorderliness, disorganization, disturbance, dogs dinner, embroilment, ferment, fermentation, fray, frenzy, fuss, fuss and kerfufle, grab bag, havoc, helter-skelter, higgledy-piggledy, huddle, hugger mugger, huggermugger, hurly burly, imbroglio, indiscrimination, intricacy, involution, jungle, kerfufle, maziness, mess, mishmash, misrule, mix, mix up, muddle, muss, perturbation, pie, pother, pretty kettle of fish, promiscuity, Ravel, riot, rough and tumble, ruckus, ruction, snafu, snarl, snarl up, stir, swirl, tangle, topsyturvy, topsyturvydom, tumble, turbidity, unrest, upheaval, upset, wooliness, woolliness), hava boşluğu (air pocket, pocket), gürültü (ado, bang, Charivari, clamor, clamour, clatter, coil, crash, din, discord, dustup, fracas, hoi polloi, hubble bubble, hubbub, hullabaloo, kick up, loudness, noise, noisiness, pandemonium, peal, pong, pother, racket, rag, razzle-dazzle, roar, roaring, roughhouse, row, ruckus, ruction, rumble, rumpus, shindy, sound, to-do, tumult, turmoil, uproar, welter). (various references) бурхливість (storminess), буйність. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | fluctibus, fluctui, fluctum, fluctus, fluctuum. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "turbulence": turbulences. (additional references) | |
| |
"Turbulence" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: terbulence, torbulence, Turbomeca, turbulance, turbulense. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "turbulence" (pronounced ter"byuluns) |
| 7 | -b y u l u n s | ambulance. |
| 6 | -y u l u n s | opulence. |
| 5 | -u l u n s | ambivalence, benevolence, equivalence, excellence, insolence, nonviolence, pestilence, petulance, prevalence, vigilance, violence, virulence. |
| 4 | -l u n s | balance, condolence, counterbalance, imbalance, parlance, resemblance, semblance, silence, surveillance, unbalance, Valence. |
| 3 | -u n s | abeyance, abhorrence, absence, abstinence, abundance, acceptance, accordance, acquaintance, acquiescence, adherence, admirations, admittance, adolescence, affluence, allegiance, alliance, allowance, ambiance, ambience, annoyance, appearance, appliance, arrogance, ascendance, assistance, assurance, attendance, audience, avoidance, belligerence, beneficence, bioscience, brilliance, cadence, capacitance, chrominance, circumference, clairvoyance, Clarence, clearance, coexistence, cognizance, coherence, coincidence, coinsurance, comeuppance, competence, compliance, concurrence, conference, confidence, confluence, conformance, congruence, connivance, conscience, consequence, consistence, continuance, contrivance, convalescence, convenience, convergence, conveyance, correspondence, countenance, counterintelligence, credence, dalliance, decadence, Defeasance, deference, defiance, deliverance, dependence, deterrence, deviance, difference, diligence, disallowance, disappearance, discontinuance, disobedience, dissidence, dissonance, distance, disturbance, divergence, dominance, ebullience, elegance, eloquence, emergence, eminence, endurance, entrance, essence, evanescence, evidence, existence, expedience, experience, extravagance, exuberance, flamboyance, Florence, forbearance, fragrance, furtherance, governance, grievance, guidance, hindrance, ignorance, immanence, imminence, impatience, impedance, importance, impotence, imprudence, inadvertence, incidence, incoherence, incompetence, incontinence, inconvenience, independence, indifference, inductance, indulgence, inexperience, inference, influence, inheritance, innocence, insignificance, insistence, instance, insurance, intelligence, interdependence, interference, intolerance, intransigence, invariance, irrelevance, irreverence, issuance, jurisprudence, licence, license, luminance, luminescence, maintenance, malfeasance, negligence, neuroscience, noncompliance, noninterference, nuisance, obedience, observance, obsolescence, occurrence, omnipotence, omnipresence, ordinance, Ordnance, overabundance, overconfidence, overdependence, overreliance, patience, penance, performance, permanence, persecutions, perseverance, persistence, phosphorescence, pittance, precedence, predominance, preeminence, preference, preponderance, prescience, presence, prominence, protuberance, provenance, Providence, province, prudence, pseudoscience, quintessence, radiance, reappearance, reassurance, recalcitrance, recognizance, reconnaissance, recurrence, reemergence, reference, reinspections, reinsurance, relevance, reliance, reluctance, remembrance, reminiscence, remittance, repentance, residence, resilience, resistance, resonance, resurgence, reticence, reverence, riddance, science, senescence, sentence, sequence, severance, significance, submergence, subservience, subsidence, subsistence, substance, sustenance, teleconference, temperance, tolerance, transcendence, transference, transience, utterance, variance, vehemence, vengeance, videoconference. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "b-c-e-e-l-n-r-t-u-u" | |
-2 letters: relucent, trueblue, tubercle. | |
-3 letters: blunter, culture, lectern, lecture, lucerne. | |
-4 letters: belter, brunet, bunter, burnet, butene, butler, center, centre, crenel, curule, cutler, eluent, lucent, lucern, nebule, neuter, recent, relent, reluct, retune, runlet, tenrec, tenure, tercel, treble, tubule, tureen, unbelt, uncurb, uncurl, uncute, unreel, untrue. | |
-5 letters: beret, betel, blent, bluer, bluet, blunt, blurt, brent, brunt, brute. | |
| Words containing the letters "b-c-e-e-l-n-r-t-u-u" | |
+1 letter: turbulences. | |
+2 letters: turbulencies. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Fiction 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Quotations: Speeches 10. Usage Frequency 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Translations: Ancient 15. Derivations 16. Rhymes | 17. Anagrams 18. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
