capillary action
Noun
Meaning
a phenomenon associated with surface tension and resulting in the elevation or depression of liquids in capillaries
Source: WordNetSynonyms
Hypernyms
Examples
Dry soil can allow rapid infiltration by capillary action ; this force diminishes as the soil becomes wet.
Large marshy salt flats, formed by capillary action in the soil, exist in many depressions, including the Garaşor, which occupies 1,500 square kilometers in the northwest.
The opposite end is then dipped into hydrogen peroxide which will draw up the liquid (through capillary action), and turned upside down, so the bacterial end is closest to the bench.
The pump chamber is emptied through the printing jet due to reduced flow impedance in that direction and refilled by capillary action.
Transpiration pull, utilizing capillary action and the inherent surface tension of water, is the primary mechanism of water movement in plants.
Water is pulled by capillary action due to the adhesion force of water to the soil solids, producing a suction gradient from wet towards drier soil.