The Collaborative International Dictionary
Adiabatic line
Adiabatic \Ad`i*a*bat"ic\, a. [Gr. ? not passable; 'a priv. + ? through + ? to go.] (Physics) Not giving out or receiving heat. -- Ad`i*a*bat`ic*al*ly, adv.
Note: The adiabatic expansion of carbon dioxide from a compressed container causes the temperature of the gas to decrease rapidly below its freezing point, resulting in the familiar carbon dioxide ``snow'' emitted by carbon dioxide fire extinguishers.
Adiabatic line or curve, a curve exhibiting the
variations of pressure and volume of a fluid when it
expands without either receiving or giving out heat.
--Rankine.