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The word temperature traces back to a Latin root meaning what?

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temperature

American  

[tem-per-uh-cher, -choor, -pruh-, -per-cher] / ˈtɛm pər ə tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər, -prə-, -pər tʃər /

noun

• temperatures
  plural

1. a measure of the warmth or coldness of an object or substance with reference to some standard value. The temperature of two systems is the same when the systems are in thermal equilibrium. T

2. Physiology, Pathology.

   1. the degree of heat in a living body, normally about 98.6°F (37°C) in humans.

   2. the excess of this above the normal.

3. Obsolete. mildness, as of the weather.

4. Obsolete. temperament.

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temperature British  

/ ˈtɛmprɪtʃə /

noun

1. the degree of hotness of a body, substance, or medium; a physical property related to the average kinetic energy of the atoms or molecules of a substance

2. a measure of this degree of hotness, indicated on a scale that has one or more fixed reference points

3. informal a body temperature in excess of the normal

4. archaic

   1. compromise

   2. temperament

   3. temperance

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temperature Scientific  

/ tĕm′pər-ə-chr′ /

1. A measure of the ability of a substance, or more generally of any physical system, to transfer heat energy to another physical system. The temperature of a substance is closely related to the average kinetic energy of its molecules.

2. See also Boyle's law

3. Any of various standardized numerical measures of this ability, such as the Kelvin, Fahrenheit, and Celsius scales.

4. An abnormally high body temperature; a fever.

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temperature Idioms  

1. see run a fever (temperature).

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Usage

Heat and temperature are closely related but distinct and sometimes subtle ideas. Heat is simply transferred thermal energy—most commonly, the kinetic energy of molecules making up substance, vibrating and bouncing against each other. A substance's temperature, on the other hand, is a measure of its ability to transfer heat, rather than the amount of heat transferred. For example, a match lit under a pot of boiling water reaches a much higher temperature than the water, but it is able to give off much less heat, since only a small amount of thermal energy is created and released by it. When any two substances of different temperatures are in thermal contact, the laws of thermodynamics state that heat flows from the higher-temperature substance into the lower-temperature substance, raising the temperature of the heated body and lowering the temperature of the body releasing heat until thermal equilibrium is reached, and the temperatures are the same. Thus temperature describes a characteristic of matter that determines the direction and extent of heat transfer, so the match with little heat but high temperature still adds energy to the water when placed under the pot. Providing a closed physical system with heat generally raises its temperature but not necessarily; for example, ice at zero degrees Celsius requires considerable additional heat in order to melt into water at zero degrees Celsius. Temperature can be related to the average kinetic energy of the molecules of gases, though this relation breaks down in most real cases involving liquids, solids, substances with larger molecules, and radiation with no mass, such as light. The two most common temperature scales, Celsius (C) and Fahrenheit (F), are based on the freezing and boiling points of water. On the Celsius scale there are 100 increments between the two points, and on the Fahrenheit scale there are 180. Scientists also use the International System units called Kelvins (K). A difference in temperature of one degree is equivalent in the Celsius and Kelvin scales, but their absolute scales are different: while zero degrees C is the temperature at which water freezes (at a pressure of one atmosphere), zero degrees K (−273.72 degrees C), also called absolute zero, is the least possible temperature for a system, representing a theoretical state from which no heat can be extracted.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• temperatures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of temperature

First recorded in 1525–35, temperature is from the Latin word temperātūra a tempering. See temperate, -ure

Explanation

Temperature refers to how hot or cold something is. When you think you might have a fever, you take your temperature to see if it is higher than normal. Temperature can also mean hotness and coldness in terms of excitement. Before offering a discount on its new one-legged jeans, the clothing manufacturer surveyed 200 loyal customers over the phone, to gauge the likely temperature of the response to their marketing ploy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

temperature temperatures

Those predictions include tiny temperature variations scattered across the CMB.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

“CBO finds that historically, the relationship between temperature and health outcomes varies by climate region,” the summary says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

The average temperature represents the mean average of the selection of grid cells across the month or season.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

The dress reportedly needs to be stored at a temperature between 59 and 64 degrees.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

After checking his heart rate, temperature, and weight, she announced, “Dr. Spires will be with y’all shortly.”

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

The cyclical climate phenomenon raises surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and causes global changes in winds and rainfall as well as erratic weather conditions.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

“That is partly because the ocean temperatures are so warm off of Mexico,” he said, “that it’s helping the hurricane retain its structure and strength to a degree that wouldn’t normally be the case.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

The researchers identified a large thermal gradient, with temperatures reaching approximately 350 degrees Celsius beside the magma intrusion and falling to about 72 degrees Celsius at an ancient seafloor asphalt spill roughly 300 meters higher.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Congress’s budget office takes on temperatures and Medicare spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

The first law says that you can’t create energy and the third that you can’t reduce temperatures to absolute zero; there will always be some residual warmth.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• climate
• cold
• condition
• heat
• warmth