Celsius

[sel-see-uhs, -shee-]

noun

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

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

/ ˈsɛlsɪəs /

adjective

1. C. denoting a measurement on the Celsius scale

Celsius

¹

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

Celsius

²

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

Celsius

¹

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

Celsius

²

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).)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Celsius¹

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