kelvin

Etymology

Named after Irish-born Scottish physicist William Thomson, Lord Kelvin. For the surname, see Kelvin.

noun

  1. In the International System of Units, the base unit of thermodynamic temperature; ¹⁄_(273.16) of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water. Shown as "K".
  2. A unit interval on the Kelvin scale.
    The interval between the freezing and boiling points of water is 100 kelvins.
  3. (usually as postpositioned adjective) A unit for a specific temperature on the Kelvin scale.
    Ice melts above 273.15 kelvins.
    Water boils above 373.15 kelvins.

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