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emission

American  
[ih-mish-uhn] / ɪˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

  1. an act or instance of emitting.

    the emission of poisonous fumes.

  2. something that is emitted; discharge; emanation.

  3. an act or instance of issuing, as paper money.

  4. Electronics. a measure of the number of electrons emitted by the heated filament or cathode of a vacuum tube.

  5. an ejection or discharge of semen or other fluid from the body.

    Synonyms:
    ejaculation
  6. the fluid ejected or discharged.

    Synonyms:
    ejaculate

emission British  
/ ɪˈmɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act of emitting or sending forth

  2. energy, in the form of heat, light, radio waves, etc, emitted from a source

  3. a substance, fluid, etc, that is emitted; discharge

  4. a measure of the number of electrons emitted by a cathode or electron gun See also secondary emission thermionic emission

    at 1000°C the emission is 3 mA

  5. physiol any bodily discharge, esp an involuntary release of semen during sleep

  6. an issue, as of currency

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does emission mean? An emission is something that has been emitted—released or discharged. In general, emissions consist of things like gas, liquid, heat, sound, light, and radiation.Emissions can come from natural sources or from machines. A specific example of an emission is the exhaust from cars (in the U.S., such emissions are regulated through emissions tests). This exhaust is just one form of carbon emissionsgreenhouse gases from various sources that are known to contribute to global warming and climate change.Emission can also refer to an instance or the process of emitting, as in This filter is designed to reduce the emission of light. Example: Carbon dioxide emissions from volcanoes are much lower than those from cars and airplanes.

Other Word Forms

  • emissive adjective
  • nonemission noun
  • reemission noun

Etymology

Origin of emission

First recorded in 1600–10; from Middle French or directly from Latin ēmissiōn- (stem of ēmissiō ), equivalent to ēmiss(us), past participle of ēmittere “to send forth” ( ē- “from, out of” + mit-, stem of mittere “to send” + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- noun suffix; emit, e- 1, -ion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It has been estimated that a typical cremation has a footprint equivalent to about 320kg of carbon dioxide- Alkaline hydrolysis is found to result in the emission of seven times less CO2.

From BBC

On the one hand, California has hyperambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to curb the worst effects of a changing climate.

From Los Angeles Times

It could decide to investigate on their behalf and force member states to take action - notable examples involving Wales included addressing emissions of harmful pollutants from Aberthaw coal-fired power station in the Vale of Glamorgan.

From BBC

The minister said there would need to be "careful consideration of the impact on emissions".

From BBC

But the zero emissions vehicles are now being ditched, along with the ambition that 700 jobs could be created.

From BBC