Celsius

[ sel-see-uhs, -shee- ]

noun
  1. An·ders [ahn-ders], /ˈɑn dərs/, 1701–44, Swedish astronomer who devised the Celsius temperature scale.

adjective
  1. Also Cen·ti·grade [sen-ti-greyd] /ˈsɛn tɪˌgreɪd/ . pertaining to or noting a temperature scale (Celsius scale ) in which 0° represents the ice point and 100° the steam point. Symbol: C

  2. Thermodynamics. of or relating to a temperature scale having the same units as the Celsius scale but in which the zero point has been shifted so that the triple point of water has the exact value 0.01°; Celsius temperatures are computed from Kelvin values by subtracting 273.15 from the latter. Symbol: C: Compare Kelvin (def. 3).

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British Dictionary definitions for Celsius

Celsius

/ (ˈsɛlsɪəs) /


adjective
  1. denoting a measurement on the Celsius scale: Symbol: C

Origin of Celsius

1
C18: named after Anders Celsius (1701–44), Swedish astronomer who invented it

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 Celsius (1 of 2)

Celsius

  1. Swedish astronomer who invented the centigrade thermometer in 1742.

Scientific definitions for Celsius (2 of 2)

Celsius

[ sĕlsē-əs ]


  1. Relating to a temperature scale on which the freezing point of water is 0° and the boiling point of water is 100° under normal atmospheric pressure. See Note at centigrade.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Celsius (1 of 2)

Celsius

[ (sel-see-uhs) ]


A temperature scale, also called centigrade, according to which water freezes at zero degrees and boils at one hundred degrees.

Celsius

[ (sel-see-uhs) ]


A temperature scale in which zero degrees is the freezing point of water and 100 degrees is the boiling point. Temperature in this scale is generally denoted by °C or, in scientific usage, C alone. (Compare Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit).)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.