dew

dew

drops of water condensed on a cool surface, esp at night, from vapour in the air

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

dew

[dü]

(hydrology)

Water condensed onto grass and other objects near the ground, the temperatures of which have fallen below the dew point of the surface air because of radiational cooling during the night but are still above freezing.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Dew

 

tiny droplets of atmospheric precipitation that form in the evening, at night, and in the early morning at temperatures above freezing on the surfaces of the ground, various objects, and plants. Dew is formed as a result of the cooling of the air and the condensation of water vapor on a given surface; the temperature of the surface falls below the dew point as a result of the heat lost by radiation in the evening and night hours. Heavy dew forms when there is clear weather and a weak wind. The amount of precipitation collected from dew is small—on the average approximately 0.1–0.3 mm nightly.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.