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thermal
[ thur-muhl ]
adjective
Buildings and sealed surfaces have a higher thermal capacity than soil and give up their heat more slowly at night.
We speed up composting using a thermal treatment.
- of or relating to hot springs or hot baths:
The bubbly, hot spring pool derives its name from the character of its thermal waters.
- designed to aid in or promote the retention of body heat:
We keep a thermal blanket in the car during winter, just in case.
noun
- Meteorology. a rising air current caused by heating from the underlying surface, especially such a current when not producing a cloud.
- thermals. thermal underwear ( def ).
thermal
/ ˈθɜːməl /
adjective
- Alsothermicˈθɜːmɪk of, relating to, caused by, or generating heat or increased temperature
- hot or warm
thermal spring
thermal baths
- (of garments or fabrics) specially designed so as to have exceptional heat-retaining properties
noun
- meteorol a column of rising air caused by local unequal heating of the land surface, and used by gliders and birds to gain height
- plural thermal garments, esp underclothes
thermal
/ thûr′məl /
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.
Derived Forms
- ˈthermally, adverb
Other Words From
- ther·mal·ly adverb
- hy·per·ther·mal adjective
- hy·per·ther·mal·ly adverb
- non·ther·mal adjective
- non·ther·mal·ly adverb
Example Sentences
French pilots are now in the air most days, using thermal cameras to spot migrants in the dunes.
The ministry added that all airports would also need to be equipped with at least one thermal imaging camera.
He told the BBC: "They stole power tools and a thermal imaging camera. I had over £6,000 of equipment stolen."
Agencies frequently use thermal imaging during large wildfires to find hot spots during periods when there is no visible light or in conditions with heavy smog or mist.
Victor Shaw, 66, died from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries at his Altadena home.
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More About Thermal
What does thermal mean?
Thermal means caused by or related to heat or temperature.
The word thermal is used in science to describe a specific kind of energy: thermal energy. Thermal energy is produced by heating up molecules and atoms until they move fast enough to collide into each other. What we experience as heat is a flow of thermal energy. Geothermal energy involves heat generated by the earth.
Outside of science, the word thermal is most often used to mean that something is related to high temperatures or something intended to retain body heat, as in Thermal gloves are insulated to keep your hands warm in the winter.
Thermal is sometimes used in reference to thermal springs, also known as hot springs.
The plural noun thermals is sometimes used as shorthand for thermal underwear, which is designed to retain body heat.
The word thermic can be used as a synonym of thermal, typically in technical ways in fields such as science or engineering.
Example: Thermal maps show areas of higher and lower temperatures.
Where does thermal come from?
The first records of thermal come from the 1750s. It comes from therm-, a variant of thermo-, which is derived from the Greek word thermós, meaning “hot.”
In everyday life, we usually don’t use thermal, opting for simpler, more specific words when we talk about heat and temperature. For example, we use hot and cold to describe things that have a high (hot) or low (cold) amount of thermal energy or that have a high or low temperature.
Thermal is used in the names of a variety of heat-related products, such as thermal imaging cameras, which use heat sensors, or thermal blankets, which reflect your body heat to keep you warm.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to thermal?
- thermally (adverb)
- hyperthermal (adjective)
- hyperthermally (adverb)
- nonthermal (adjective)
What are some synonyms for thermal?
What are some words that share a root or word element with thermal?
What are some words that often get used in discussing thermal?
How is thermal used in real life?
Thermal is typically used in a scientific context.
Sustainable Methods of Thermal Energy Storage to Bring Drastic Transformationhttps://t.co/tXC5BOy6S0 pic.twitter.com/wZJtWuCkvL
— Renewables News (@RenewablesNews) August 5, 2020
.@NASANPP sees wildfires across Australia; thermal measurements show active fires outlined in red.https://t.co/qIERCO0hP9 pic.twitter.com/HJ9FjMZ63I
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) July 18, 2017
I will always RT this video demonstration showing how you could handle GLOWING HOT space shuttle thermal tiles right after they came out of an oven at > 2000 K due to their insulating properties. Incredible material science, remarkably COOL (sorry) pic.twitter.com/FQEvumdVL2
— Chris Combs (@DrChrisCombs) September 3, 2020
Try using thermal!
Is thermal used correctly in the following sentence?
Astronauts collected information about the temperature around Earth and reported the thermal measurements back to ground control.
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