hysteresis

noun

hys·​ter·​e·​sis ˌhi-stə-ˈrē-səs 

plural hystereses ˌhi-stə-ˈrē-ˌsēz 

physics : a slowing of an effect when the forces acting upon a body are changed (as if from viscosity or internal friction)

all manometers must be tested for hysteresis as well as for sensitivity and natural frequency

—H. D. Green

especially : a lagging in the values of resulting magnetization in a magnetic material (such as iron) due to a changing magnetizing force

hysteretic

ˌhi-stə-ˈre-tik 

adjective

Examples of hysteresis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Consequently, eliminating this hysteresis is a promising step toward ensuring the long-term performance of perovskite cells, and Bisquert expects that others working on perovskite solar cells will want to try Seok’s new recipe. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Jan. 2015

Efficiencies are often measured by plotting a curve of current against voltage—but for perovskites, the curves differ depending on whether the voltage is increasing or decreasing, an anomaly known as hysteresis that may have led to overestimates of perovskite performance in the past. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Jan. 2015

Indeed, the team speculate that the hysteresis curve is characteristic of the type of alcohol used to create the insulating layer. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 30 Nov. 2021

These objects become permanently magnetized, through a process called hysteresis. —Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 29 Mar. 2023

This kind of hysteresis is common: Kill one too many top predators in an ecosystem, for instance, and the altered dynamics might cause the prey population to suddenly explode; add a predator back again and the prey population stays elevated. —Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022

The result is a hysteresis curve that, in each cycle, preserves a memory of the preceding current. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 30 Nov. 2021

Economists borrowed the term hysteresis from the physics of magnetism. —Jon Hilsenrath, WSJ, 25 Feb. 2021

For many years, economists have looked for evidence of hysteresis in labor markets. —Jon Hilsenrath, WSJ, 25 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek hysterēsis shortcoming, from hysterein to be late, fall short, from hysteros later — more at out entry 1

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

hysteresis

noun

hys·​ter·​e·​sis ˌhis-tə-ˈrē-səs 

plural hystereses -ˌsēz 

1

: the lagging of a physical effect on a body behind its cause (as behind changed forces and conditions)

all manometers must be tested for hysteresis as well as for sensitivity and natural frequency

—H. D. Green

2

a

: the influence of the previous history or treatment of a body on its subsequent response to a given force or changed condition

a study has been made of the phenomenon of rennet hysteresis, in which the time of coagulation of heated milk is progressively greater with increase in the time interval between heating and addition of rennet

—J. S. Fruton

b

: the changed response of a body that results from this influence