Maxwell's Demon Definition

măkswĕlz, -wəlz

noun

An imaginary creature who is able to sort hot molecules from cold molecules without expending energy, thus bringing about a general decrease in entropy and violating the second law of thermodynamics.

American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Maxwell's Demon

Noun

Singular:

Maxwell's demon

Plural:

Maxwell's demons

Origin of Maxwell's Demon

Named after physicist James Clerk Maxwell and demon, and probably from Greek daemon, a mythological being intermediate between gods and men.

From Wiktionary
After James Clerk Maxwell

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition