thermal
UK /ˈθɜːməl/ · US /ˈθɝməl/ adjective, noun, verb, proper noun
Forms thermals thermaling thermalling thermaled thermalled
- adjective Pertaining to heat or temperature.
- adjective (fabric) Providing efficient insulation so as to keep the body warm.
- adjective Caused or brought about by heat.
- adjective (stone) Having a rough finish from treatment with a blowtorch.
- noun (meteorology) A column of rising air in the lower atmosphere created by uneven heating of a planet's surface.
- noun (military) FLIR.
- noun (nautical) thermocline.
- verb (stone) To create a rough finish on stone by treating it with a high-temperature blowtorch.
- verb (gliding, often in the present participle) To fly an unpowered aircraft in a thermal (column of rising air).
- proper noun A census-designated place in Riverside County, California, United States.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From French thermal, from New Latin *thermalis, from Ancient Greek θέρμη (thérmē, “heat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰer- (“to heat, warm”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [L. thermae hot springs, fr. Gr. formus warm, and E. forceps.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “thermal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details