heat capacity

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noun Thermodynamics.

the heat required to raise the temperature of a substance one degree.

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Compare specific heat.

Origin of heat capacity

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby heat capacity

heartworm, heart-wrenching, hearty, heat, heat barrier, heat capacity, heat content, heat cramp, heat death, heat devil, heat dome

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use heat capacity in a sentence

They have a high “specific heat capacity” — it takes a lot of energy to raise their temperatures by just a degree.
How to cool your home without relying on air conditioning|Sarah Kaplan|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
Specifically, the pilots got themselves into a high altitude stall, where the wings lose the capacity to provide lift.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But while he was up there riffing about Steiger, he looked like he did in the Big Heat.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The movie we went to that Friday night in 1953 was The Big Heat.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, high-sided cast iron skillet.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While the beans are cooling and drying, melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The heat of drunkenness is the stumblingblock of the fool, lessening strength and causing wounds.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
It was very warm, and for a while they did nothing but exchange remarks about the heat, the sun, the glare.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Tobacco is a strong growing plant resisting heat and drought to a far (p. 018) greater extent than most plants.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Wasn't the dead man stretched in the shadow convincing proof of their capacity for pure devilishness?
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
This widening grasp of languages is or was within the capacity of nearly everyone born into the world—given the facilities.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

British Dictionary definitions for heat capacity

heat capacity

noun

the heat required to raise the temperature of a substance by unit temperature interval under specified conditions, usually measured in joules per kelvin. Symbol: C p (for constant pressure) or C v (for constant volume)

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 heat capacity

heat capacity

The ratio of the heat energy absorbed by a substance to its increase in temperature. Heat capacity is also called thermal capacity.♦ The specific heat or specific heat capacity of a substance is the heat capacity per unit mass, usually measured in joules per kilogram per degree Kelvin. See also latent heat thermodynamics.

Cultural definitions for heat capacity

heat capacity

In physics, the capability of a substance to absorb energy in the form of heat for a given increase in temperature. Materials with high heat capacities, such as water, require greater amounts of heat to increase their temperatures than do substances with low heat capacities, such as metals. (See entropy.)