calorie

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A unit that measures the energy in food and drink.

   A small apple has about fifty calories.

2. 2
   noun

   A unit of heat energy used in science.

   One calorie raises the temperature of a gram of water by one degree.

Borrowed from French calorie, formed from Latin calor. It was originally defined as the large calorie in the early 19th century, with the small calorie being defined some decades later.

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