saturation

[sach-uh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or process of saturating.

2. the state of being saturated. saturated.

3. Meteorology.,  a condition in the atmosphere corresponding to 100 percent relative humidity.

4. the degree of chroma or purity of a color; the degree of freedom from admixture with white.

5. Magnetism.,  the state of maximum magnetization of a ferromagnetic material.

saturation

/ ˌsætʃəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of saturating or the state of being saturated

2. chem the state of a chemical compound, solution, or vapour when it is saturated

3. meteorol the state of the atmosphere when it can hold no more water vapour at its particular temperature and pressure, the relative humidity then being 100 per cent

4. the attribute of a colour that enables an observer to judge its proportion of pure chromatic colour See also colour

5. physics the state of a ferromagnetic material in which it is fully magnetized. The magnetic domains are then all fully aligned

6. electronics the state of a valve or semiconductor device that is carrying the maximum current of which it is capable and is therefore unresponsive to further increases of input signal

7. the level beyond which demand for a product or service is not expected to increase

1. denoting the maximum possible intensity of coverage of an area

   saturation bombing

   a saturation release of a film

saturation

1. The state of a physical system, such as a solution, containing as much of another substance, such as a solute, as is possible at a given temperature or pressure.

2. The vividness of a color's hue. Saturation measures the degree to which a color differs from a gray of the same darkness or lightness.

3. Compare hue value

4. The state of being a saturated organic compound.

5. See more at saturated

Other Word Forms

• desaturation noun
• nonsaturation noun
• oversaturation noun
• subsaturation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of saturation¹

1545–55; < Late Latin saturātiōn- (stem of saturātiō ) a filling, equivalent to saturāt ( us ) ( saturate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

But in an age of franchise fatigue, ironic tentpoles and streaming saturation, the earnest, four-quadrant spectacle had started to feel like a relic — until “Maverick” reminded Hollywood how potent that formula could still be.

From Los Angeles Times

An increasing number of public figures are blaming a saturation of solar power and an over-reliance on renewable energy.

From BBC

“There’s a lot of water saturation and we’re definitely going throughout the area and identifying any trees that may be at risk and removing them,” Carmona said.

From Los Angeles Times

In her essay “Insider Baseball,” Didion decried the trivial nature of two-party politics in the age of media saturation.

From Los Angeles Times

We may never hit peak true crime, but when we struggle to tell one TV series’ fraudster apart from another, we may have reached white girl scammer saturation.

From Salon

Related Words

• congestion 
• overload