latent heat

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noun Physics.

heat absorbed or radiated during a change of phase at constant temperature and pressure.

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Compare heat of fusion, heat of vaporization.

Origin of latent heat

First recorded in 1750–60

Words nearby latent heat

latensify, latent, latent ambiguity, latent content, latent function, latent heat, latent image, latent learning, latent period, latent root, latent strabismus

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

How to use latent heat in a sentence

Green spaces and cool colors in a city turn more sensible heat into latent heat, Martilli and his colleagues find.
Explainer: Urban heat islands and how to cool them|Bethany Brookshire|August 19, 2021|Science News For Students
Plants trap sensible heat and turn it into latent heat — the energy that turns liquid water into water vapor.
Explainer: Urban heat islands and how to cool them|Bethany Brookshire|August 19, 2021|Science News For Students
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
Remove from heat and stir in the walnuts, rum, powdered sugar, and salt until fully incorporated.
Carla Hall’s Christmas Day Treat: Rum Balls|Carla Hall|December 25, 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.
A present remedy of all is the speedy coming of a cloud, and a dew that meeteth it, by the heat that cometh, shall overpower it.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Captain Vane came from the observatory, his face blazing with excitement and oily with heat, to announce the fact.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for latent heat

latent heat

noun

(no longer in technical usage) the heat evolved or absorbed by unit mass (specific latent heat) or unit amount of substance (molar latent heat) when it changes phase without change of temperature

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 latent heat

latent heat

[ lāt′nt ]

The quantity of heat absorbed or released by a substance undergoing a change of state, such as ice changing to liquid water or liquid water changing to ice, at constant temperature and pressure. The latent heat absorbed by air when water vapor condenses is ultimately the source of the power of thunderstorms and hurricanes. See also heat capacity.

Cultural definitions for latent heat

latent heat

The heat released or absorbed when matter undergoes a change of phase (see phases of matter). If the heat is given off during the change from a liquid to a solid, it is called heat of fusion. If it is given off during the change from a gas to a liquid, it is called heat of vaporization.

latent heat

Origin of latent heat

Words nearby latent heat

Words related to latent heat

How to use latent heat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for latent heat

Scientific definitions for latent heat

Cultural definitions for latent heat