dark energyn.
/ˌdɑːk ˈɛnədʒi/, U.S. /ˌdɑrk ˈɛnərdʒi/ Astronomy.
A hypothetical form of energy with largely unknown properties which in some cosmological models is postulated to act in opposition to gravitation, accounting for most of the energy in the universe and causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. Cf. dark matter n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > energy or power of doing work > [noun] > specific types of energy
internal energy1654
positive energy1807
chemical energy1809
energy1852
potential energy1853
atomic energy1854
latent energy1854
static energy1869
free energy1884
rest energy1925
nuclear energy1958
radial energy1959
tangential energy1959
geothermal1960
dark energy1998
quintessence1998
1998 M. S. Turner in H. Sato & N. Sugiyama Black Holes & High Energy Astrophysics 87 If inflation + cold dark matter is correct, then there are new, fundamental questions to be answered, most notably the nature of the dark energy that seems to account for 60% of the critical density.
2008 New Scientist 31 May 9/4 It's tough to discern the effects of dark energy on photons because the phenomenon gives only a slight nudge to the temperature [of the cosmic microwave background].
2013 D. Goldberg Universe in Rearview Mirror ii. 47 We tend to call it Dark Energy today, but the idea is much the same: There is some unchanging fluid throughout the universe that seems to work as a sort of antigravity.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2021).
<
n.1998