Pronunciation: [hˌɪstəɹˈiːsɪs] (IPA) 
The word "hysteresis" is spelled with a "y" instead of an "i" due to its Greek origin. The Greek word "husterēsis" (ὑστέρησις) means "deficiency" or "lagging behind." The "y" in the English spelling represents the Greek letter "upsilon" (υ), which has a "y" sound. The phonetic transcription of "hysteresis" is /hɪˈstɛrəsɪs/. The stress is on the second syllable (ster), and the ending "sis" is pronounced as "siss."
Hysteresis is a term originating from the physical sciences that is often used to describe a phenomenon where the response or behavior of a system is dependent not only on its present conditions but also on its history. The term is derived from the Greek words "hystera," meaning "later" or "behind," and "esis," meaning "to be" or "to become."
In physics and engineering, hysteresis refers to a characteristic of a system or material that exhibits a time delay or lag in its response to changes in the input or stimulus. This delay occurs due to the retention of certain properties or states acquired during previous exposures. For instance, in magnetism, hysteresis refers to the resistance of a magnetic material to return to its original magnetization state after the external magnetic field has been removed. This lag in response can lead to energy losses or changes in the efficiency of a system.
The concept of hysteresis is not limited to the physical sciences and can be found in various fields, including biology, economics, and psychology. In biology, for example, hysteresis can describe the phenomenon where a biological system exhibits a different response to stimuli depending on its previous states. Similarly, in economics, hysteresis can refer to the lingering effects of past economic conditions on the current state of an economy.
In summary, hysteresis refers to a delay or lag in the response of a system or material to changes in its stimulus, caused by the retention of previous states or conditions. It is a fundamental concept used to understand the behavior of various complex systems.
Failure of either one of two related phenomena to keep pace with the other.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The word "hysteresis" is derived from the Greek words "hysterein" (ὑστερεῖν), meaning "to be behind" or "to lag behind", and "hysteron" (ὕστερον), meaning "later". The term was originally introduced by Sir James Alfred Ewing, a Scottish physicist and engineer, in 1881 to describe the phenomenon in magnetic systems where the magnetization of a material lags behind the changing magnetic field. Over time, "hysteresis" has come to be used more broadly to describe any process where there is a delay or lagging effect.
