temperature
temperature Lexical Profile
temperature Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The degree or intensity of sensible heat or cold present in a substance, object, or environment, especially as expressed according to a comparative scale and shown by a thermometer.
"Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius at standard atmospheric pressure."
The degree of internal heat of a living body; specifically, an abnormally high body heat exceeding the normal physiological level.
"The pediatrician advised keeping the child home from school because she was running a high temperature."
The prevailing degree of excitement, emotional intensity, or tension in a discussion, group, or situation.
"The mediator spoke calmly in an effort to lower the temperature of the heated negotiations."
• Rhymes for temperature
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 15th century from Middle French température and directly from Latin temperatura ('due measure, proportion, or tempering'), from the verb temperare ('to mingle in due proportion, moderate'). Originally referring to the proper mixture of bodily humors or elements, it acquired its modern sense of measured heat or cold in the late 17th century.