thermal unit

American  

noun

1. a unit of heat energy or of the equivalent of heat energy in work.

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Etymology

Origin of thermal unit

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Rising oil prices could boost the company’s 2026 full-year gas price to $6.00 per metric million British thermal unit from $5.7/mmBtu forecast previously, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Meanwhile, U.S. futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange fall 7.1% to $3.183 per million British thermal unit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Kaeser said the renewable energy division had a “disappointing” performance, with “continued challenges” at the solar thermal unit.

From BusinessWeek • Apr. 5, 2011

Natural-gas futures touched $4.87 per British thermal unit in New York Jan. 24 before falling to a 15-week low of $3.73 per Btu on March 4.

From BusinessWeek • Mar. 9, 2011

For this reason the definition of the thermal unit will in the end probably be referred to a scale of temperature defined in terms of a standard platinum thermometer.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1 "Calhoun" to "Camoens" by Various