Fahrenheit

[ far-uhn-hahyt; German fahr-uhn-hahyt ]

noun
  1. Ga·bri·el Da·ni·el [German gah-bree-el dah-nee-el], /German ˈgɑ briˌɛl ˈdɑ niˌɛl/, 1686–1736, German physicist: devised a temperature scale and introduced the use of mercury in thermometers.

adjective
  1. noting, pertaining to, or measured according to a temperature scale (Fahrenheit scale ) in which 32° represents the ice point and 212° the steam point. Symbol: F

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British Dictionary definitions for Fahrenheit (1 of 2)

Fahrenheit1

/ (ˈfærənˌhaɪt) /


adjective
  1. of or measured according to the Fahrenheit scale of temperature: Symbol: F

British Dictionary definitions for Fahrenheit (2 of 2)

Fahrenheit2

/ (German ˈfaːrənhait) /


noun
  1. Gabriel Daniel (ˈɡaːbrieːl ˈdaːnieːl). 1686–1736, German physicist, who invented the mercury thermometer and devised the temperature scale that bears his name

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 Fahrenheit (1 of 2)

Fahrenheit

[ fărən-hīt′ ]


  1. Relating to or based on a temperature scale that indicates the freezing point of water as 32° and the boiling point of water as 212° under standard atmospheric pressure.

Scientific definitions for Fahrenheit (2 of 2)

Fahrenheit

  1. German physicist who invented the mercury thermometer in 1714 and devised the Fahrenheit temperature scale.

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

Cultural definitions for Fahrenheit (1 of 2)

Fahrenheit

A temperature scale according to which water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. The scale was devised by Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, an instrument maker of the eighteenth century, born in Germany.

Fahrenheit

[ (fair-uhn-heyet) ]


A temperature scale, used primarily in the United States, in which the freezing point of water is 32 degrees and the boiling point 212 degrees. Temperatures in this scale are denoted by °F or, in scientific usage, F alone. (Compare Celsius.)

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.