phase

Meanings

Noun

• A distinguishable part of a sequence or cycle occurring over time.
• That which is exhibited to the eye; the appearance which anything manifests, especially any one among different and varying appearances of the same object.
• Any appearance or aspect of an object of mental apprehension or view.
• A particular appearance or state in a regularly recurring cycle of changes with respect to quantity of illumination or form, or the absence, of its enlightened disk. Illustrated in Wikipedia's article Lunar phase.
• Any one point or portion in a recurring series of changes, as in the changes of motion of one of the particles constituting a wave or vibration; one portion of a series of such changes, in distinction from a contrasted portion, as the portion on one side of a position of equilibrium, in contrast with that on the opposite side.
• A component in a material system that is distinguished by chemical composition and/or physical state (solid, liquid or gas) and/or crystal structure. It is delineated from an adjoining phase by an abrupt change in one or more of those conditions.
• In certain organisms, one of two or more colour variations characteristic of the species, but independent of the ordinary seasonal and sexual differences, and often also of age.
• The period of play between consecutive breakdowns.
• A haplotype.
• The arctangent of the quotient formed by dividing the imaginary part of a complex number by the real part.
• A distortion caused by a difference in the speed of propagation for different frequencies
• In a polyphase electrical power system, one of the power-carrying conductors, or the alternating current carried by it.

Verb

• To begin—if construed with "in"—or to discontinue—if construed with out—(doing) something over a period of time (i.e. in phases).
• To determine haplotypes in (data) when genotypes are known.
• To pass into or through a solid object.

Proper Noun

• Passover

Related

Narrower meaning words

• phase in
• phase out

Origin

• From New Latin phasis, from Ancient Greek φάσις, from φάειν; compare phantasm and see face.
• From Latin phase, Phasa, from Hebrew פָּסַח.