particulate
Microscopic suspended matter
Particulate describes matter composed of tiny separate particles.
The word appears most often in discussions of air quality, where particulate matter—dust, soot, pollen, smoke—poses health risks when inhaled.
As a noun, a particulate is one such particle: The filter removes particulates from the air.
The adjective also applies in other contexts: particulate radiation, particulate debris.
Sunlight-activated urban pollution
- emissionsSubstances released into air
- exhaustUse up entirely
- PM2.5Microscopic air pollution particles
- dieselCompression-ignition fuel
combustion · tailpipe · haze · pollutants · soot · carcinogens · toxins · sulfur dioxide
Carbon from incomplete burning
- ashCombustion's powdery remains
- pollenFloral reproductive grains
- danderMicroscopic shed skin
- lintLoose textile fibers
debris · grit · powder · sawdust · fines · fluff · chaff · shavings
Mist in gas
- suspensionTemporary halt or exclusion
- mistFine airborne moisture
- sprayDispersed liquid droplets
- plumeOrnamental feather or rising column
drift · dispersion · atomization · nebulization · floatation · vapor · fumes · smoke
Taking breath in
- lungsRespiratory chest organs
- alveoliLung's gas-exchange chambers
- bronchitisInflamed airway disease
- asthmaChronic lung inflammation
pneumoconiosis · silicosis · coughing · pulmonary · deposition · clearance · penetration · irritation
Waterborne earth particles
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- sandFine rock particles
- gravelLoose small rock fragments
- aggregateCombined sum total
granular · colloid · turbidity · settling · flocculation · filtration · runoff · erosion
Millionth of a meter
- nanometerMetric unit, billion-fold smaller
- micronMillionth of a meter
- diameterDistance across through center
- concentrationSustained single-minded attention
mass · count · distribution · sampling · monitor · filter · spectrometer · impactor
smog
Sunlight-activated urban pollution
diesel · combustion · tailpipe · haze · pollutants · soot · carcinogens · toxins · sulfur dioxide · nitrogen oxides
soot
Carbon from incomplete burning
lint · debris · grit · powder · sawdust · fines · fluff · chaff · shavings · spores
aerosol
Mist in gas
- suspensionTemporary halt or exclusion
- mistFine airborne moisture
- sprayDispersed liquid droplets
plume · drift · dispersion · atomization · nebulization · floatation · vapor · fumes · smoke · exhaust
inhalation
Taking breath in
- lungsRespiratory chest organs
- alveoliLung's gas-exchange chambers
- bronchitisInflamed airway disease
asthma · pneumoconiosis · silicosis · coughing · pulmonary · deposition · clearance · penetration · irritation · inflammation
silt
Waterborne earth particles
aggregate · granular · colloid · turbidity · settling · flocculation · filtration · runoff · erosion · alluvial
micrometer
Millionth of a meter
- nanometerMetric unit, billion-fold smaller
- micronMillionth of a meter
- diameterDistance across through center
concentration · mass · count · distribution · sampling · monitor · filter · spectrometer · impactor · optical
- fine texturessand, powder, silt, dust, flour
- Cleanroomsbunny suit, HEPA filter, laminar flow hood, anteroom, sticky mat
- atmosphereair, humidity, atmosphere, temperature, oxygen
- environmentair pollution, ecology, clean air, biosphere, air quality
- climateclimate change, climate, weather, global warming, temperature
- broken apartapart, asunder, broken, broken up, fragmented
particulategaseous
In vapor form
dissolved · liquid · vaporous · fluid · continuous
particulatecontinuous
Without pause or gap
homogeneous · uniform · smooth · undifferentiated · solid
- in particularFocusing on one instance
- no particular order
- overly particular
- particulate matterFine airborne solid fragments
- no particular direction
particular, particularly, particulars, particularity, particularize, particulates, particularized, particulate matter