insulation

1 the state of being isolated or detached; "the insulation of England was preserved by the English Channel" [syn: insularity, insularism, detachment]

2 a material that reduces or prevents the transmission of heat or sound or electricity [syn: insulating material, insulant]

3 the act of protecting something by surrounding it with material that reduces or prevents the transmission of sound or heat or electricity

English

Etymology

From insulate

Pronunciation

• italbrac RP /ˌɪnsjʊˈleɪʃən/
• italbrac US /ˌɪnsəˈleɪʃən/
• Rhymes with: -eɪʃǝn

Noun

1. The act of insulating, or the state of being insulated; detachment from other objects; isolation.
2. The act of separating a body from others by nonconductors, so as to prevent the transfer of electricity, heat, sound; also, the state of a body so separated.
3. In the context of "electrical": a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources; then energy required to produce the electric field is fully recoverable only in a complete vacuum [the ideal dielectric when the field or applied voltage is removed; used to a) save space, b) enhance safety, c) improve appearance.

Translations

Translations to be checked

• ttbc Spanish: aislamiento

Insulation may mean:

• Building insulation, added to buildings for comfort and energy efficiency
• Soundproofing, also known as acoustic insulation, any means of reducing the intensity of sound
• Thermal insulation, materials used to reduce the rate of heat transfer
• Electrical insulation, the use of material to resist the flow of electric current
• In genetics, an insulator is a regulatory sequence found between enhancers and promotors to improve the gene specificity of regulatory proteins.

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