thermo-, therm-, thermi-, -thermia, -therm, -thermal, -thermic, -thermias, -thermies, -thermous, -thermy
(Greek: heat, heating, heater, hot, warm)
The term heat is employed in ordinary language in different senses. Some scientists distinguish four principal applications of the term:
- Sensation of heat.
- Temperature, or degree of hotness.
- Quantity of thermal energy.
- Radiant heat, or energy of radiation.
hygrothermaograph
An instrument that records both temperature and humidity on one graph.
hygrothermia, hygrothermally
A reference to moisture and heat.
hygrothermograph
1. An instrument that records the temperature and humidity of the air on a single chart.
2. A visual record of temperature and relative humidity readings taken over a period of several days.
2. A visual record of temperature and relative humidity readings taken over a period of several days.
hygrothermography
The recording of both temperature and humidity.
hygrothermometer
An instrument which measures both temperature and relative humidity.
hyperthermal, hyperthermic
A reference to an abnormally elevated body temperature; such as fever.
Extreme sensitiveness (pain) to heat; thermalgia: Nancy never wanted to live in the desert because she suffered from hyperthermalgesia, so she tried to find a job in a moderate climate.
hyperthermia
1. Therapeutically induced hyperpyrexia.
2. Characterized by excess heat; of very high temperature.
3. The condition of having a body temperature substantially above the normal either as a result of natural causes or artificially induced (e.g. for therapeutic purposes).
2. Characterized by excess heat; of very high temperature.
3. The condition of having a body temperature substantially above the normal either as a result of natural causes or artificially induced (e.g. for therapeutic purposes).
hyperthermia, hypothermia
hyperthermia (high" puhr THUR mee uh) (noun)
Unusually high body temperature: The doctors were worried because the patient seemed very hot as if suffering from hyperthermia.
hypothermia (high" puh THUR mee uh) (noun)
Abnormally low body temperature: People who enjoy hiking in the winter need to be very careful that they don't develop hypothermia and frostbite.
The doctors were very worried about Josie's well-being because her temperatures kept fluctuating between hyperthermia and hypothermia without a medical explanation.
hyperthermoesthesia, hyperthermoaesthesia (s) (noun); hyperthermoesthesias; hyperthermoaesthesias (pl)
Extreme sensitiveness to heat: Bertha's hyperthermoesthesia always results in her face being very red whenever she is in a heated room and during hot summers.
An organism that thrives best in temperatures of 80 degrees Celsius or higher. A hyperthermophile is a life form that can exist in an extremely hot environment, like in hot springs with a water temperature around the boiling point.
hyperthermotherapy
The use of abnormally high body temperature, especially that which is induced for therapeutic purposes.
An abnormally high body temperature: "Hyperthermia can be caused by a high fever, a heat stroke, central nervous system diseases, or infections; including, encephalitis, malaria, meningitis, sepsis, etc."
"Some hyperthermies are artificially induced by the introduction of an injection of foreign proteins or by physical means as a treatment for certain diseases."
Hypothermal
A postglacial interval characterized by little glacial expansion and moderate decreases in temperature.
hypothermal (adjective)
A tepid or subnormal body temperature: "Hypothermal conditions can be a result of being exposed to cold temperatures or it is a technique for lowering the body temperature, in order to reduce oxygen requirements during surgery; especially, cardiovascular and neurological procedures."
You can find self-scoring quizzes over many of the words in this subject area by going to this Thermo- Vocabulary Quizzes page.
Related "heat, hot" word units: ferv-; pyreto-.
Related "bubble" word unit: ebulli-.
