Brownian motion

noun

Brown·​ian motion ˈbrau̇-nē-ən- 

: a random movement of microscopic particles suspended in liquids or gases resulting from the impact of molecules of the surrounding medium

called also Brownian movement

Examples of Brownian motion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These atoms bounced around in solution due to the random jiggles of Brownian motion and eventually wandered inside the crystals. —IEEE Spectrum, 5 Apr. 2011

What looks like Brownian motion, random and chaotic, is in fact as efficient a system of transportation as there is. —Bryan C. Donohue, Baltimore Sun, 17 Apr. 2024

But another is that at galactic scales, the acceleration due to gravity can vary by a small but random amount, as if spacetime were eliciting some kind of Brownian motion on the masses within it. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024

But there’s another kind of movement available in liquids that has rarely been considered for this purpose—molecular thermal motion or Brownian motion. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2023

Brown noise gets its name not from the color, but because it’s produced by a type of random movement known as Brownian motion. —Samantha Vincenty, SELF, 12 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Robert Brown †1858 Scottish botanist

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Brownian motion

noun

Brown·​ian motion ˌbrau̇-nē-ən- 

: a random movement of microscopic particles in liquids or gases that results from collisions with molecules of the fluid surrounding the particles

called also Brownian movement

Etymology

named for Robert Brown 1773–1858 Scottish scientist

Medical Definition

Brownian motion

noun

Brown·​ian motion ˌbrau̇-nē-ən- 

: a random movement of microscopic particles suspended in liquids or gases resulting from the impact of molecules of the fluid surrounding the particles

called also Brownian movement