kilocalorie

American

[kil-uh-kal-uh-ree] / ˈkɪl əˌkæl ə ri /

noun

Thermodynamics.

one thousand small calories. kcal

kilocalorie British

/ ˈkɪləʊˌkælərɪ /

noun

another name for Calorie

"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

Etymology

Origin of kilocalorie

First recorded in 1890–95; kilo- + calorie

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Since mass is most often specified in kilograms, kilocalorie is commonly used.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

This means that one dietary Calorie is equal to one kilocalorie for the chemist, and one must be careful to avoid confusion between the two.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

A food calorie is actually a kilocalorie, the unit of measurement that equals the amount of energy needed to heat one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.

From Slate • May 28, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023