heat sink

noun
1.
Thermodynamics. any environment or medium that absorbs heat.
2.
Also, heatsink. Electronics. a metallic heat exchanger designed to absorb and dissipate excess heat from one of the devices, as a transistor or resistor, in a circuit.
Origin
1935-40
British Dictionary definitions for heat-sink

heat sink

noun
1.
a metal plate specially designed to conduct and radiate heat from an electrical component
2.
a layer of material placed within the outer skin of high-speed aircraft to absorb heat
heat-sink in Science
heat sink  

  1. A protective device that absorbs and dissipates the excess heat generated by a system.

  2. An environment capable of absorbing heat from substances within it (and with which it is in thermal contact) without an appreciable change in its own temperature and without a change in its own phase.


heat-sink in Culture

heat sink definition


A reservoir for excess heat, especially in a mechanical or electrical device.

Note: One obstacle to the loading of circuits onto microprocessors is the heat generated by electrical circuits. Effective heat sinks, such as metal fins on top of a microprocessor, can provide part of the solution to this problem.