| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
joule (j&oomacr;l, joul)
n.
Abbr. J
The International System unit of electrical, mechanical, and thermal energy.
A unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of 1 ampere is passed through a resistance of 1 ohm for 1 second.
A unit of energy equal to the work done when a force of 1 newton acts through a distance of 1 meter.
joule (j l, joul) Pronunciation Key
The SI derived unit used to measure energy or work. One joule is equal to the energy used to accelerate a body with a mass of one kilogram using one newton of force over a distance of one meter. One joule is also equivalent to one watt-second. |
| Joule, James Prescott 1818-1889.
British physicist who demonstrated that heat is a form of energy. His work established the law of conservation of energy, stating that energy is never destroyed but may be converted from one form into another. The joule unit of energy is named for him. |