English
Noun
wikipedia
en-noun|-
- An unstable but potentially long-lived state of a chemical or physical system; for example, a supersaturated solution or an excited atom.
Derived terms
metastable
Usage notes
Note: This word is often (as in the quote below) used in the context of an analogy, and not in the literal, scientific meaning.
One particularly adept usage has been to claim that a pyramid, balancing on its point is a example of metastability!
Quotations
1989 Irving Singer The Nature of Love
zh:metastability
|
