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noun Dip n. 1.The action of dipping or plunging for a moment into a liquid. "The dip of oars in unison." 2.Inclination downward; direction below a horizontal line; slope; pitch. 3.A hollow or depression in a surface, especially in the ground. 4.A liquid, as a sauce or gravy, served at table with a ladle or spoon. (Local, U.S.) 5.A dipped candle. (Colloq.) 6.A gymnastic exercise on the parallel bars in which the performer, resting on his hands, lets his arms bend and his body sink until his chin is level with the bars, and then raises himself by straightening his arms. 7.In the turpentine industry, the viscid exudation, which is dipped out from incisions in the trees; as, virgin dip (the runnings of the first year), yellow dip (the runnings of subsequent years). 8.(Aeronautics) A sudden drop followed by a climb, usually to avoid obstacles or as the result of getting into an airhole. 9.A liquid, in which objects are soaked by dipping; e.g., a parasiticide or insecticide solution into which animals are dipped (see sheep-dip). 10.A sauce into which foods are dipped to enhance the flavor; e. g., an onion dip made from sour cream and dried onions, into which potato chips are dipped. Dip of the horizon (Astron.), the angular depression of the seen or visible horizon below the true or natural horizon; the angle at the eye of an observer between a horizontal line and a tangent drawn from the eye to the surface of the ocean. Dip of the needle, or Magnetic dip, the angle formed, in a vertical plane, by a freely suspended magnetic needle, or the line of magnetic force, with a horizontal line; called also inclination. Dip of a stratum (Geol.), its greatest angle of inclination to the horizon, or that of a line perpendicular to its direction or strike; called also the pitch.
magnetic dip n. The angle that a magnetic needle makes with the plane of the horizon. Synonyms: dip, angle of dip, magnetic inclination, inclination.
adjective Magnetical, Magnetic adj. 1.Pertaining to the magnet; possessing the properties of the magnet, or corresponding properties; as, a magnetic bar of iron; a magnetic needle. 2.Of or pertaining to, or characterized by, the earth's magnetism; as, the magnetic north; the magnetic meridian. 3.Capable of becoming a magnet; susceptible to magnetism; as, the magnetic metals. 4.Endowed with extraordinary personal power to excite the feelings and to win the affections; attractive; inducing attachment. "She that had all magnetic force alone." 5.Having, susceptible to, or induced by, animal magnetism, so called; hypnotic; as, a magnetic sleep. See Magnetism. (Archaic) Magnetic amplitude, Magnetic attraction, Magnetic dip, Magnetic induction, etc. See under Amplitude, Attraction, etc. Magnetic battery, a combination of bar or horseshoe magnets with the like poles adjacent, so as to act together with great power. Magnetic compensator, a contrivance connected with a ship's compass for compensating or neutralizing the effect of the iron of the ship upon the needle. Magnetic curves, curves indicating lines of magnetic force, as in the arrangement of iron filings between the poles of a powerful magnet. Magnetic elements. (a)(Chem. Physics) Those elements, as iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium, manganese, etc., which are capable or becoming magnetic. (b)(Physics) In respect to terrestrial magnetism, the declination, inclination, and intensity. Magnetic fluid, the hypothetical fluid whose existence was formerly assumed in the explanations of the phenomena of magnetism; no longer considered a meaningful concept. Magnetic iron, or Magnetic iron ore. (Min.) Same as Magnetite. Magnetic needle, a slender bar of steel, magnetized and suspended at its center on a sharp-pointed pivot, or by a delicate fiber, so that it may take freely the direction of the magnetic meridian. It constitutes the essential part of a compass, such as the mariner's and the surveyor's. Magnetic poles, the two points in the opposite polar regions of the earth at which the direction of the dipping needle is vertical. Magnetic pyrites. See Pyrrhotite. Magnetic storm (Terrestrial Physics), a disturbance of the earth's magnetic force characterized by great and sudden changes. magnetic tape (Electronics), a ribbon of plastic material to which is affixed a thin layer of powder of a material which can be magnetized, such as ferrite. Such tapes are used in various electronic devices to record fluctuating voltages, which can be used to represent sounds, images, or binary data. Devices such as audio casette recorders, videocasette recorders, and computer data storage devices use magnetic tape as an inexpensive medium to store data. Different magnetically susceptible materials are used in such tapes. Magnetic telegraph, a telegraph acting by means of a magnet. See Telegraph.
Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48
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