A machine that spins samples very fast to separate materials of different densities, commonly used in science labs and medical testing.
From French 'centrifuge', combining Latin 'centrum' (center) and 'fugere' (to flee). The word literally means 'fleeing from the center' and describes how the spinning pushes heavier materials outward.
The centrifuge is named with beautiful logic—it works by centrifugal force pushing things away from the center, and scientists literally named it after the physical principle that makes it work, which is rare and elegant naming.
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