thermal

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   relating to heat, temperature, or the transfer of heat

   The engineer measured the alloy's thermal conductivity at several temperatures.

2. 2
   adj

   designed to reduce heat loss and keep a person or object warm

   The climbers wore thermal underwear beneath their waterproof clothing.

3. 3
   adj

   relating to water naturally heated below Earth's surface, especially a hot spring

   The town developed around a group of mineral-rich thermal springs.

4. 4
   noun

   a rising current or mass of warm air, used by gliders and soaring birds to gain height

   The pilot circled inside a thermal until the glider had gained enough altitude.

Appears in

Borrowed from French thermal, from New Latin thermalis, based on Greek therme ("heat, warmth"). The earliest English sense concerned hot springs; the word later broadened to anything involving heat and developed the noun for a rising body of warm air.

Topics

External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary