specific heat

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noun Physics.

the number of calories required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance 1°C, or the number of BTU's per pound per degree F.

(originally) the ratio of the thermal capacity of a substance to that of standard material.

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Origin of specific heat

First recorded in 1825–35

Words nearby specific heat

specification, specific charge, specific dynamic action, specific epithet, specific gravity, specific heat, specific heat capacity, specific humidity, specific immune globulin, specific immunity, specific impulse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use specific heat in a sentence

One specific kind of emergency is at the heart of this, such as when an airplane suffers a loss of stability at night.
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
So too with a vaccine that provokes a specific immune response aimed at a specific RNA sequence.
When You Get the Flu This Winter, You Can Blame Anti-Vaxxers|Kent Sepkowitz|January 1, 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
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.
The specific gravity is most conveniently estimated by means of the urinometer—Squibb's is preferable (Fig. 14).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
One frequently wishes to ascertain the specific gravity of quantities of fluid too small to float an urinometer.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

Scientific definitions for specific heat

specific heat

See under heat capacity.

Cultural definitions for specific heat

specific heat

The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius, or to raise the temperature of one pound of a substance by one degree Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit).

specific heat

COMPARE MEANINGS

Origin of specific heat

Words nearby specific heat

Words related to specific heat

How to use specific heat in a sentence

Scientific definitions for specific heat

Cultural definitions for specific heat