temperature

[ tem-per-uh-cher, -choor, -pruh-, -per-cher, -choor ]

See synonyms for: temperature temperatures on Thesaurus.com

noun

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. Abbreviation: T
Physiology, Pathology.
- the degree of heat in a living body, normally about 98.6°F (37°C) in humans.
- the excess of this above the normal.

Obsolete. mildness, as of the weather.
Obsolete. temperament.

Origin of temperature

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

Words that may be confused with temperature

fever, temperature

Words Nearby temperature

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

How to use temperature in a sentence

Rising temperatures have dried out the West’s forests, making them more vulnerable to fire.
What wildfires in Brazil, Siberia, and the US West have in common | Lili Pike | September 17, 2020 | Vox
To monitor the change, a global fleet of about 4,000 devices called Argo floats is collecting temperature data from the ocean’s upper 2,000 meters.
Underwater earthquakes’ sound waves reveal changes in ocean warming | Carolyn Gramling | September 17, 2020 | Science News
As temperatures have been warming, mangroves have been spreading.
Soggy coastal soils? Here’s why ecologists love them | Alison Pearce Stevens | September 17, 2020 | Science News For Students
Meanwhile, temperatures are rising and rainfall patterns are becoming more extreme.
Suppressing fires has failed. Here’s what California needs to do instead. | James Temple | September 17, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
I added that to a spreadsheet with the temperature of each ice bottle.
Build ice towers with bottled water and ice | Bethany Brookshire | September 16, 2020 | Science News For Students

Not quite, but at one point the temperature registered 29 below zero, with 21 inches of snow.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From the History of ‘Purple Rain’ | Jennie Yabroff | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Turn the heat down to 325°F and continue cooking until internal temperature reads 140°F on a thermometer.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries | Carla Hall | December 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Turns out that wool regulates temperature, repels water, wicks away moisture, and resists stains and dirt.
The Coolest Fashion Innovations of 2014 | Raquel Laneri | December 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Drew Servis, 24, was walking home Sunday night and recalls the temperature well below freezing.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree | M.L. Nestel | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The caregiver Fatu had acted fast – the temperature reading on the Thursday night was high.
The Life of a Liberian Child with Ebola | Sarah Crowe | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Thus the increase of temperature that augments the elasticity of a fluid confined, would expand it in the same degree.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis Trevithick
As all parts of this apparatus are of metal changes in humidity or temperature do not affect its regulation.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing Miller
The tuning of an organ is seriously affected by the temperature of the surrounding air.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing Miller
The greatest ranges of temperature occur in the Piedmont and in the Great Valley.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. Torpey
In general, the climate of the entire state is mild with few extremes in temperature.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. Torpey

British Dictionary definitions for temperature

temperature

/ (ˈtɛmprɪtʃə) /

noun

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

informal a body temperature in excess of the normal
archaic
- compromise
- temperament
- temperance

Origin of temperature

C16 (originally: a mingling): from Latin temperātūra proportion, from temperāre to temper

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 temperature

temperature

[ tĕm′pər-ə-chur′ ]

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. See also Boyle's law.
Any of various standardized numerical measures of this ability, such as the Kelvin, Fahrenheit, and Celsius scales.

An abnormally high body temperature; a fever.

usage For temperature

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 Idioms and Phrases with temperature

temperature

see run a fever (temperature).

Browse