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:

  1. Sensation of heat.
  2. Temperature, or degree of hotness.
  3. Quantity of thermal energy.
  4. Radiant heat, or energy of radiation.

angiodiathermy
1. The obliteration of blood vessels with diathermy.
2. The therapeutic generation of local heat in body tissues by high-frequency electromagnetic currents.
apothermotaxis
The absence of a directed response of a motile organism to a thermal (heat) stimulus.
athermal
1. Without heat, no heat; not hot.
2. Not warm; said of springs with water that is below 15 degrees Centigrade.
athermancy
1. Impermeability to heat (no heat passing through).
2. The inability of a substance to transmit infrared radiation or radiant heat.
athermanous
1. Absorbing radiant heat; not permeable to heat rays.
2. Absorbing heat rays and not permitting them to pass.
athermic (adjective), more athermic, most athermic
1. Pertaining to a lack of a fever or with no rise of temperature: Since Pat's temperature didn't get any higher, Dr. Anderson was relieved to see that she was getting closer to the athermic condition that he was striving to achieve for her.
2. A reference to a nonexistent opening of a passage or entrance to heat or heat-rays: The athermic coating on the space shuttle proved to be successful when it re-entered the earth’s atmosphere.
3. Characterized by the absence of fever: After a worrisome night, baby Jill seemed to be athermic and now had a cool forehead and no fever.
4. Relating to being heatless: It was speculated that many of the planets in the solar system were of an athermic nature; that is, they had no natural heat.
athermobiose
athermobiosis
Dormancy induced by relatively low temperatures.
athermosystaltic
Not contracted or constricted by ordinary variations of temperature; said of certain tissues.
athermous
Without warmth or heat.
athermy
Without heat.
autotherm
An organism that regulates its body heat independent of ambient temperature changes.
autothermy
azothermia
A rarely used term for fever resulting from uremia.
barothermogram
A graphic representation of pressure and temperature readings, as made by a barothermograph (an instrument that records atmospheric pressure and temperature simultaneously).

Quiz 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-.