| 1. | the number of calories required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance 1°C, or the number of BTU's per pound per degree F. |
| 2. | (originally) the ratio of the thermal capacity of a substance to that of standard material. |

| specific heat n.
|
The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius, or to raise the temperature of one pound of a substance by one degree Fahrenheit.