Kelvin

[ kel-vin ]

noun
  1. William Thomson, 1st Baron, 1824–1907, English physicist and mathematician.

  2. (lowercase) the basic unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), formally defined to be approximately 1/273 of the triple point of water. Abbreviation: K

adjective
  1. Thermodynamics. noting or pertaining to an absolute scale of temperature (Kelvin scale ) in which the degree intervals are equal to those of the Celsius scale and in which absolute zero is 0 degrees Kelvin and the triple point of water has the value of approximately 273 degrees Kelvin.: Compare absolute temperature scale, Celsius (def. 3).

  2. Also Kel·win [kel-win]. /ˈkɛl wɪn/. a male given name.

Words Nearby Kelvin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Kelvin in a sentence

  • A half-degree sun doesn't radiate heat enough to keep a ship warm, when the rest of the cosmos is effectively near zero Kelvin.

    Pariah Planet | Murray Leinster
  • Next should be mentioned the line of profound observers, from Galileo and Torricelli to Kelvin.

  • Such ideas were advocated by Richter in a rather phantastic way and more definitely by Helmholtz as well as Kelvin.

British Dictionary definitions for kelvin (1 of 2)

kelvin

/ (ˈkɛlvɪn) /


noun
  1. the basic SI unit of thermodynamic temperature; the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water: Symbol: K

British Dictionary definitions for Kelvin (2 of 2)

Kelvin

/ (ˈkɛlvɪn) /


noun
  1. William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin. 1824–1907, British physicist, noted for his work in thermodynamics, inventing the Kelvin scale, and in electricity, pioneering undersea telegraphy

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 kelvin (1 of 2)

kelvin

[ kĕlvĭn ]


  1. The SI unit used to measure temperature, the basic unit of the Kelvin scale. A difference of one degree Kelvin corresponds to the same temperature difference as a difference of one degree Celsius. See Table at measurement. See also absolute zero.

Scientific definitions for Kelvin (2 of 2)

Kelvin

  1. British mathematician and physicist known especially for his work on heat and electricity. In 1848 he proposed a scale of temperature independent of any physical substance, which became known as the Kelvin scale.

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