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Fahrenheit

/ˌfɛrənˈhaɪt/
/ˈfærɛnhaɪt/
IPA guide

Other forms: Fahrenheits

The Fahrenheit scale is used to measure temperature in the U.S. If you're planning to take a nice, warm bath, you'll want the water to be about 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most of the world measures temperature using a Celsius scale, but in the U.S., water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and boiling water measures 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The scale is named for its inventor, a German physicist named Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, who developed it in 1724. Until the 1960s, Fahrenheit was the most widely-used scale for measuring temperature. Today, Americans using British recipes, for example, have to translate Celsius to Fahrenheit before setting their ovens.

Definitions of Fahrenheit
  1. adjective
    of or relating to a temperature scale proposed by the inventor of the mercury thermometer
    “water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit under normal conditions”
  2. noun
    German physicist who invented the mercury thermometer and developed the scale of temperature that bears his name (1686-1736)
    see moresee less
    example of:
    physicist
    a scientist trained in physics
Pronunciation
US
/ˌfɛrənˈhaɪt/
UK
/ˈfærɛnhaɪt/
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