boundary layer


noun Physics.

the portion of a fluid flowing past a body that is in the immediate vicinity of the body and that has a reduced flow due to the forces of adhesion and viscosity.

Origin of boundary layer

First recorded in 1920–25

British Dictionary definitions for boundary layer

boundary layer

noun

the layer of fluid closest to the surface of a solid past which the fluid flows: it has a lower rate of flow than the bulk of the fluid because of its adhesion to the solid