thermal
Use Thermal in a sentence
məl adjective
1.
Also, thermic. of, pertaining to, or caused by heat or temperature: thermal capacity.
2.
of, pertaining to, or of the nature of thermae: thermal waters.
3.
designed to aid in or promote the retention of body heat: a thermal blanket.
noun
4.
Meteorology. a rising air current caused by heating from the underlying surface, especially such a current when not producing a cloud.
5.
thermals, thermal underwear.
00:10
Thermal
is always a great word to know.
So is rain shadow. Does it mean:
| a region in the lee of mountains that receives less rainfall than the region windward of the mountains |
| air pollution containing ozone and reactive chemical compounds formed by sunlight on nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, often from auto exhaust |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To thermal
Collins
World English Dictionary
thermal (ˈθɜːməl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | Also: thermic of, relating to, caused by, or generating heat or increased temperature |
| 2. | hot or warm: thermal baths; thermal spring |
| 3. | (of garments or fabrics) specially designed so as to have exceptional heat-retaining properties |
| —n | |
| 4. | meteorol a column of rising air caused by local unequal heating of the land surface, and used by gliders and birds to gain height |
| 5. | (plural) thermal garments, esp underclothes |
| 'thermally | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
thermal
1756, "having to do with hot springs," from Fr. thermal (Buffon), from Gk. therme "heat," from PIE *ghwerm-/*ghworm- "warm" (cf. L. fornax "an oven, kiln," formus "warm," O.E. wearm; see warm). Sense of "having to do with heat" is first recorded 1837. The noun meaning "rising
current of relatively warm air" is recorded from 1933.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
thermal ther·mal (thûr'məl)
adj.
Of, relating to, using, producing, or caused by heat.
Intended or designed in such a way as to help retain body heat.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| thermal (thûr'məl) Pronunciation Key
Adjective Relating to heat. Noun A usually columnar mass of warm air that rises in the lower atmosphere because it is less dense than the air around it. Thermals form because the ground surface is heated unevenly by the Sun. The air usually rises until it is in equilibrium with the air surrounding it. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Solar thermal systems use heat energy from the sun to warm water.
The hotter they are and the bigger they are, the more thermal energy they have.
Solar thermal installations are used to provide hot water for various uses.
Although they can swim almost from birth, they need the thermal insulation of a thick blubber layer to survive in frigid seas.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
