Mesopause
/ˈmiːzəˌpɔːz/noun
The boundary region in Earth’s atmosphere between the mesosphere and thermosphere, where temperature reaches a minimum.
Did you know?Mesopause is a modern scientific coinage built from Greek roots, not an ancient mystical term, but its structure reflects the same root behind words like “pause,” “caesura,” and “apocalypse”’s dramatic “revelation” sense of a break or uncovering.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
mesos
“middle”
Ancient Greek
Greek
pausis
“a stopping, cessation”
Late Latin
Latin
pausa
“a pause or stop”
19th Century
English
mesosphere
“the middle layer of the atmosphere”
20th Century
English
mesopause
“the boundary or pause at the top of the mesosphere”
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