The term "adiabatic" refers to a process in which no heat is exchanged with the surroundings. This means that when a gas expands or compresses adiabatically, all the energy changes occur without any heat entering or leaving the system. For example, when you quickly compress air in a bicycle pump, the air heats up because the energy is used to do work on the gas, not to transfer heat. In thermodynamics, adiabatic processes are important for understanding how systems behave under certain conditions. The adiabatic process is often used in thermodynamic cycles, such as in heat engines and refrigerators, where efficient energy transfer is crucial.