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.
2. The discharge of electrons or ions from a solid or liquid as a result of its thermal energy.
3. The release of electrons when a material is heated; for example, electron emission when the tungsten cathode filament of a radiographic tube is heated to incandescence (emission of light by an object as a result of its being heated to a high temperature) by means of its low-voltage heating circuit.
As a fever indicates that the body is fighting infection, pain has its purpose in reporting injury or internal problems. Unfortunately, pain is not a reliable indicator, and it is of limited help to a physician in forming an accurate diagnosis.
The perception of a pain’s very source may be incorrect. The tooth that one points out as the one that hurts may not be the one that’s abscessed.
That pain in a person’s arm may not be caused by a strain or injury to that area, but it could be the result of a problem in his/her heart or other organ.
These are examples of a phenomenon known as "referred pain".
2. Used in metallurgy, specifically, a test used to determine metal transformations based on the temperatures at which thermal arrests occur.

Related "heat, hot" word units: ferv-; pyreto-.
Related "bubble" word unit: ebulli-.