calorie

[ kal-uh-ree ]

noun,plural cal·o·ries.
  1. Thermodynamics.

  2. Physiology.

    • a unit equal to the kilocalorie, used to express the heat output of an organism and the fuel or energy value of food.

    • a quantity of food capable of producing such an amount of energy.

Origin of calorie

1
First recorded in 1800–10; from French, equivalent to calor- (from Latin calor “heat”) + -ie noun suffix; see -y3
  • Sometimes cal·o·ry .

Words Nearby calorie

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How to use calorie in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for calorie (1 of 2)

calorie

calory

/ (ˈkælərɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  1. a unit of heat, equal to 4.1868 joules (International Table calorie): formerly defined as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C under standard conditions. It has now largely been replaced by the joule for scientific purposes: Abbreviation: cal Also called: gram calorie, small calorie Compare Calorie

Origin of calorie

1
C19: from French, from Latin calor heat

British Dictionary definitions for Calorie (2 of 2)

Calorie

/ (ˈkælərɪ) /


noun
  1. Also called: kilogram calorie, kilocalorie, large calorie a unit of heat, equal to one thousand calories, often used to express the heat output of an organism or the energy value of food: Abbreviation: Cal

  2. the amount of a specific food capable of producing one thousand calories of energy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for calorie

calorie

[ kălə-rē ]


  1. A unit of energy equal to the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. One calorie is equivalent to 4.1868 joules. Also called small calorie

  2. Calorie A unit of heat equal to the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1,000 grams of water by one degree Celsius. This unit is used as a measure of the energy released by food as it is digested by the human body. Also called kilocalorie large calorie

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Calorie

Calorie

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. A calorie (with a lower-case c) is a measurement of the heat needed to raise the temperature of a gram of water, rather than a kilogram.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.