Celsius

American  

[sel-see-uhs, -shee-] / ˈsɛl si əs, -ʃi- /

noun

1. Anders 1701–44, Swedish astronomer who devised the Celsius temperature scale.

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adjective

1. Also Centigrade pertaining to or noting a temperature scale Celsius scale in which 0° represents the ice point and 100° the steam point. C

2. Thermodynamics. of or relating to a temperature scale having the same units as the Celsius scale but in which the zero point has been shifted so that the triple point of water has the exact value 0.01°; Celsius temperatures are computed from Kelvin values by subtracting 273.15 from the latter. C

Celsius British  

/ ˈsɛlsɪəs /

adjective

1.  C.  denoting a measurement on the Celsius scale

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Celsius ¹ Scientific  

/ sĕl′sē-əs /

1. Relating to a temperature scale on which the freezing point of water is 0° and the boiling point of water is 100° under normal atmospheric pressure.

2. See Note at centigrade

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Celsius ² Scientific  

1. Swedish astronomer who invented the centigrade thermometer in 1742.

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Celsius ¹ Cultural  

1. A temperature scale, also called centigrade, according to which water freezes at zero degrees and boils at one hundred degrees.

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Celsius ² Cultural  

1. A temperature scale in which zero degrees is the freezing point of water and 100 degrees is the boiling point. Temperature in this scale is generally denoted by °C or, in scientific usage, C alone. (Compare Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit).)

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Etymology

Origin of Celsius

C18: named after Anders Celsius (1701–44), Swedish astronomer who invented it

Example Sentences

In general, the global average temperature has already increased by 1.8 degrees, or 1 degree Celsius, since the preindustrial period, according to NASA, and is increasing by more than 0.36 degrees per decade.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026

Heat is forecast to build from Wednesday with temperatures across England and east Wales getting into the high 20s and low 30s Celsius.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

Europe is the fastest warming continent, with temperatures that are already around 2.5 degrees Celsius warmer than in the preindustrial era, compared with around 1.4 degrees for the earth as a whole.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

Scotland and Northern Ireland will avoid the worst of the heat but will still reach the low to mid-20s Celsius.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

However, the surface of the planet is a scorching 467 degrees Celsius, the ground is barren and rocky, and clouds of sulfuric acid roam the atmosphere.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson