# Liquefaction or Liquification?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquefaction-or-liquification/432445>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 5, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquefaction-or-liquification/432445 "2008-01-05T22:57:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquefaction-or-liquification/432445/1 "2008-01-05T22:57:14Z")

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Not exactly a household word, but: When speaking of turning coal into a liquid hydrocarbon , is the process called “liquefaction” or “liquification”? While the latter sounds correct, the former seems to be technically correct. (Yet, I’ve seen both.) Anyone know why the variance? For example, a related process called “coal gasification” has no twist. It is NOT “coal gasifaction”!

…Is there a geophysicist in the house?

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquefaction-or-liquification/432445/2 "2008-01-05T23:37:05Z")

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I’ve only ever seen liquefaction. Derived, presumably, from the Latin verb _liquefacere_: to melt, or dissolve.

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquefaction-or-liquification/432445/3 "2008-01-06T19:27:45Z")

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[QUOTE=Jinx]  
Not exactly a household word, but: When speaking of turning coal into a liquid hydrocarbon , is the process called “liquefaction” or “liquification”? While the latter sounds correct, the former seems to be technically correct. (Yet, I’ve seen both.) Anyone know why the variance? For example, a related process called “coal gasification” has no twist. It is NOT “coal gasifaction”!

…Is there a geophysicist in the house?  
[/QUOTE]

Where have you seen the word “liquification” in use? The dictionary refuses to acknowledge its existence. 😉

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquefaction-or-liquification/432445/4 "2008-01-06T19:50:30Z")

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[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq]  
Where have you seen the word “liquification” in use? The dictionary refuses to acknowledge its existence. 😉  
[/QUOTE]

It probably just seems like a natural transition from ‘liquify’ to ‘liquification’; you know, like ‘indemnify \> indemnification’.

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**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquefaction-or-liquification/432445/5 "2008-01-06T22:38:43Z")

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[Liquifaction](http://www.ce.washington.edu/~liquefaction/html/what/what1.html) refers to soil acting like a liquid.

[Liquification](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquification) is the act of becoming liquid, as in condensation from a gas or the melting of a solid.

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquefaction-or-liquification/432445/6 "2008-01-06T23:33:50Z")

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[QUOTE=picunurse]  
[Liquifaction](http://www.ce.washington.edu/~liquefaction/html/what/what1.html) refers to soil acting like a liquid.

[Liquification](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquification) is the act of becoming liquid, as in condensation from a gas or the melting of a solid.  
[/QUOTE]

Ok, we’re closer, but frankly, a stub Wikipedia article that cites no references isn’t exactly solid evidence. We need something more tangible! Darnit, where are the genetic engineers when you need them?? 😛

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**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquefaction-or-liquification/432445/7 "2008-01-07T01:00:03Z")

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[here](http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Liquification) is a medical dictionary giving the same definition.

I found a few articles about the conversion of coal to liquid petroeum. It may be that both words are appropriate in different phases of the process.