Kelvin

[ kel-vin ]

/ ˈkɛl vɪn /

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noun

William Thomson, 1st Baron, 1824–1907, English physicist and mathematician.

(lowercase) the basic unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), formally defined to be approximately 1/273 of the triple point of water. Abbreviation: K

adjective

Thermodynamics. noting or pertaining to an absolute scale of temperature (Kelvin scale ) in which the degree intervals are equal to those of the Celsius scale and in which absolute zero is 0 degrees Kelvin and the triple point of water has the value of approximately 273 degrees Kelvin.Compare absolute temperature scale, Celsius (def. 3).

Also Kel·win

[kel-win]. /ˈkɛl wɪn/. a male given name.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Words nearby Kelvin

Kelsey, Kelso, kelson, kelt, kelter, Kelvin, Kelvin, Lord, Kelvin scale, kelyphitic rim, Kemal Atatürk, kembla

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

How to use Kelvin in a sentence

In a lab setting, Kelvin says, this process would take about a month from start to finish.
Ramping up COVID-19 vaccine production is harder than it seems|Kat Eschner|February 19, 2021|Popular-Science
“Every single thing that you’re putting into it needs to have that certification that this is GMP produced,” Kelvin says.
Ramping up COVID-19 vaccine production is harder than it seems|Kat Eschner|February 19, 2021|Popular-Science
Kelvin was hired as a director with Laborers Local 89, where he works on political and policy issues at all levels of government.
Barrios Worked With Laborers as a Council Staffer Before Taking a Job There|Andrew Keatts and Jesse Marx|September 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Therefore, I’m pausing my involvement in Kelvin’s campaign until the DA’s review is completed.
Morning Report: A Century of Single Family Home Supremacy|Voice of San Diego|August 27, 2020|Voice of San Diego

What I’m learning now is concerning, and I’m not going to disregard it simply because Kelvin worked for me in the past and I endorsed his campaign.
Gómez ‘Pausing’ Barrios Support Amid Criminal Investigation|Andrew Keatts|August 26, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The editor who took the Sun to the heights of its formula was Kelvin McKenzie, who ran it from 1981 to 1994.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror Machine|Clive Irving|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I asked Kelvin what else he remembered about this place and the rectangles.
Uncovering the Secrets of St. Kitts|Debra A. Klein|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kelvin remembered wrapping mackerel in them and eating them wild with seasoning.
Uncovering the Secrets of St. Kitts|Debra A. Klein|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One Kelvin standard compass, with azimuth mirror on compass platform.
Loss of the Steamship 'Titanic'|British Government
Leslie had learned that the Kelvin family amused itself in this fashion every night when the fishing was not particularly good.
The Dragon's Secret|Augusta Huiell Seaman
A half-degree sun doesn't radiate heat enough to keep a ship warm, when the rest of the cosmos is effectively near zero Kelvin.
Pariah Planet|Murray Leinster
Next should be mentioned the line of profound observers, from Galileo and Torricelli to Kelvin.
History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom|Andrew Dickson White
Such ideas were advocated by Richter in a rather phantastic way and more definitely by Helmholtz as well as Kelvin.
The Organism as a Whole|Jacques Loeb

British Dictionary definitions for Kelvin (1 of 2)

kelvin

/ (ˈkɛlvɪn) /

noun

the basic SI unit of thermodynamic temperature; the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of waterSymbol: K

British Dictionary definitions for Kelvin (2 of 2)

Kelvin

/ (ˈkɛlvɪn) /

noun

William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin. 1824–1907, British physicist, noted for his work in thermodynamics, inventing the Kelvin scale, and in electricity, pioneering undersea telegraphy

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 Kelvin (1 of 2)

kelvin

[ kĕl′vĭn ]

The SI unit used to measure temperature, the basic unit of the Kelvin scale. A difference of one degree Kelvin corresponds to the same temperature difference as a difference of one degree Celsius. See Table at measurement. See also absolute zero.

Scientific definitions for Kelvin (2 of 2)

Kelvin

First Baron Title of William Thomson 1824-1907

British mathematician and physicist known especially for his work on heat and electricity. In 1848 he proposed a scale of temperature independent of any physical substance, which became known as the Kelvin scale.