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definitions

B.T.U.

or BTU, B.t.u., B.th.u., Btu

Physics.
  1. British thermal unit; British thermal units.

British thermal unit

noun Physics.
  1. the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound (0.4 kg) of water 1°F. Abbreviation: Btu, BTU, B.t.u., B.T.U., B.th.u.

Origin of British thermal unit

First recorded in 1875–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for btu

Contemporary Examples of btu

  • The president's economic plan included an energy BTU tax, and NAFTA.

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    The Last Blowout

    The Daily Beast

    October 31, 2010

Historical Examples of btu

  • He was a trader from Btu Bra, and he had been selling the famous silks of his country in the villages up our river.

British Dictionary definitions for btu

btu

BThU

abbreviation for
  1. British thermal unitUS abbreviation: BTU

BTU

abbreviation for
  1. Board of Trade Unit

British thermal unit

noun
  1. a unit of heat in the fps system equal to the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1°F. 1 British thermal unit is equivalent to 1055.06 joules or 251.997 caloriesAbbrevs: btu, BThU
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
btu in Medicine

Btu

abbr.
  1. British thermal unit

British thermal unit

n.
  1. The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water from 60° to 61°F at a constant pressure of one atmosphere.
  2. The quantity of heat equal to 1180 of the heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water from 32° to 212°F at a constant pressure of one atmosphere.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
btu in Science

Btu

  1. Abbreviation of British thermal unit

British thermal unit

[brĭt′ĭsh]
  1. A unit used mainly to measure heat but also applied to other forms of energy. One British thermal unit is equal to the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, or 251.997 calories.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
btu in Culture

British thermal unit

A unit for measuring heat. One Btu raises the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit).

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.