temperature
a measure of the warmth or coldness of an object or substance with reference to some standard value. The temperature of two systems is the same when the systems are in thermal equilibrium. Abbreviation: T
Physiology, Pathology.
the degree of heat in a living body, normally about 98.6°F (37°C) in humans.
the excess of this above the normal.
Obsolete. mildness, as of the weather.
Obsolete. temperament.
Origin of temperature
1Words that may be confused with temperature
- fever, temperature
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use temperature in a sentence
Detainees were hosed down while shackled naked, and placed in rooms with temperatures as low as 59 degrees Fahrenheit.
With falling temperatures, retreat has become a much more attractive option than before.
There are fans, but Hetflaisz never once saw an air-conditioning unit—and temperatures get up to 100 degrees.
Six months out of the year, the temperatures exceed 100 degrees.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley | Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt will also take into account outside temperatures and even accommodate for people with fevers.
Tables giving the definite vapor pressures of important liquids at the various fixed temperatures are in common use.
The Elements of Qualitative Chemical Analysis, vol. 1, parts 1 and 2. | Julius StieglitzPeaches and nectarines will stand fairly high temperatures after the fruit is well set and especially toward ripening time.
Dwarf Fruit Trees | F. A. WaughThus, alloys generally melt at lower temperatures than those required for their separate metals.
No mammals or birds that we know of can live actively with their body temperatures at all approaching the freezing point of water.
The Revolt of the Star Men | Raymond GallunThese conditions may be a high wind, low relative humidity, high temperatures, or a combination of the three.
Our National Forests | Richard H. Douai Boerker
British Dictionary definitions for temperature
/ (ˈtɛmprɪtʃə) /
the degree of hotness of a body, substance, or medium; a physical property related to the average kinetic energy of the atoms or molecules of a substance
a measure of this degree of hotness, indicated on a scale that has one or more fixed reference points
informal a body temperature in excess of the normal
archaic
compromise
temperament
temperance
Origin of temperature
1Collins 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 temperature
[ tĕm′pər-ə-chur′ ]
A measure of the ability of a substance, or more generally of any physical system, to transfer heat energy to another physical system. The temperature of a substance is closely related to the average kinetic energy of its molecules. See also Boyle's law.
Any of various standardized numerical measures of this ability, such as the Kelvin, Fahrenheit, and Celsius scales.
An abnormally high body temperature; a fever.
usage For temperature
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with temperature
see run a fever (temperature).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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