slipstream means the low-pressure zone immediately following a rapidly moving object, caused by turbulence. It carries an Arena rating of 1755, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, slipstream ranks #83 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #720 of 17,130 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,150 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words, #4,377 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words.
slipstream is pronounced /ˈslɪp.stɹiːm/.
Why “slipstream” is a great word
A slipstream is the low-pressure zone of turbulent fluid immediately behind a rapidly moving object, which a trailing body can exploit for aerodynamic advantage. It is a compound of 'slip' (suggesting a smooth, gliding motion) and 'stream' (a flow of fluid), and its specific sense as a fiction genre was coined in 1989 by author Bruce Sterling. Unlike a 'wake,' which broadly describes any disturbed fluid left behind, implying a visible, turbulent trail, or 'drafting,' which specifically denotes the racing technique of following closely, slipstream names the precise physical phenomenon of displaced atmosphere that makes the technique possible. It is the pocket of altered reality where a racing cyclist rests, the rippled path in water where a trout holds station, the ghostly corridor through air that beckons a pursuer forward—a temporary shelter carved from resistance, defined entirely by another's passage.
Etymology
Compound of slip + stream. Fiction sense coined by cyberpunk author Bruce Sterling in 1989.
noun
- The low-pressure zone immediately following a rapidly moving object, caused by turbulence.
- A generated advantage which makes forward movement easier.
- The relative wind experienced as a result of movement through air.
- The airflow over a propeller-driven aircraft generated by the motion of its propeller(s).
- A genre of fantastic or non-realistic fiction that crosses conventional genre boundaries.e.g.“Slipstream is not simply a mixture of fantasy and realism, but something which lies between or even beyond the two.”
verb
- To take advantage of the suction produced by a slipstream by travelling immediately behind the slipstream generator.e.g.“Although dangerous, over-the-road truck drivers sometimes slipstream with each other to save fuel.”
- To incorporate additional software (such as patches) into an existing installer.e.g.“You do this by slipstreaming the updates into the distribution folder.”
Words closest in meaning
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