convection

noun

Etymology: From Latin convectiōnem, from convectiō (“act of carrying”), from convect-, past participle stem of convehō (“to carry together”), combination of com- and vehō. By surface analysis, convect + -ion.

1. The process of conveying something.
2. The transmission of heat in a fluid by the circulation of currents.

   “The mantle is important to our discussion in that its viscous nature can conduct convection currents that have effects on the crust upon which we live.”

3. The vertical movement of heat and moisture, especially by updrafts and downdrafts in an unstable air mass. The terms convection and thunderstorm are often used interchangeably, although thunderstorms are only one form of convection. Towering cumulus clouds are visible forms of convection.