Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

surfactant

/səɹˈfæktənt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.60 in modern English

Syllables: sur-fac-tant
IPA: /səɹˈfæktənt/

15

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A surface-active agent, or wetting agent, capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid; typically organic compounds having a hydrophilic “head” and a hydrophobic “tail”.

noun

A lipoprotein in the tissues of the lung that reduces surface tension and permits more efficient gas transport.

Example Sentences

"Dr. Khorana added that this is especially true of cleansers that feature surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate, as this class of ingredients can cause “dryness, irritation and eczema.”"
"It is conceivable that impairment of surfactant proteins is due to rheological and immunodefensive disorders of testis and epididymis or prostate."

Etymology

Blend of surface-active + agent.

Inflected Forms

surfactants (plural)

Derived Forms

antisurfactant biosurfactant cosurfactant fluorosurfactant nonsurfactant prosurfactant surfactantless surfactantlike

Synonyms

tenside wetting agent wetter surface-active agent

Questions

How do you pronounce surfactant?: The recorded pronunciation is /səɹˈfæktənt/.
What does surfactant mean?: A surface-active agent, or wetting agent, capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid; typically organic compounds having a hydrophilic “head” and a hydrophobic “tail”.
Where does surfactant come from?: Blend of surface-active + agent.

How to pronounce surfactant

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “surfactant”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/səɹˈfæktənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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