Word
fahrenheit
Phoneticsfahren·heit
/ˈfɛɹənˌhaɪt/
Definition
n. a scale for measuring temperature where water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. It is mostly used in the United States.
n. a thermometric scale on which the freezing point of water is 32 degrees and the boiling point is 212 degrees under standard atmospheric pressure. Primarily used in the United States and a few other jurisdictions.
Examples
“The temperature today is 75 degrees Fahrenheit.”
“Most American ovens are calibrated in Fahrenheit, so you may need to convert recipes from Celsius.”
“While the scientific community and most nations have adopted the Celsius scale, the United States remains the largest economy to officially retain Fahrenheit for weather reporting and domestic use.”
Examples
simple
“The temperature today is 75 degrees Fahrenheit.”
contextual
“Most American ovens are calibrated in Fahrenheit, so you may need to convert recipes from Celsius.”
complex
“While the scientific community and most nations have adopted the Celsius scale, the United States remains the largest economy to officially retain Fahrenheit for weather reporting and domestic use.”
Usage
Usually capitalised; often abbreviated as 'F' after a degree symbol.
Pitfall
It is 20 Fahrenheits outside.
It is 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
The word refers to the scale itself; specific measurements must be expressed as 'degrees Fahrenheit'.
Real-World Examples
“Seoul’s streak of 17 tropical nights – defined as nights when temperatures do not fall below 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) – ended Monday.” “The successive heat waves in Europe and the United States, along with so many people from around the world visiting for the World Cup, have me thinking about temperature, how we measure it—Celsius in Europe and most of the rest of the world, Fahrenheit in the United States—and which system makes more sense.” “In the coming days, New York is expected to see temperatures rise to near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), but with humidity, it could feel more like 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).” “The United States is now one of the last countries using Fahrenheit day to day.” Etymology
From German Fahrenheit, named after Prussian scientist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
In Literature
Original artwork created for englishreference.com.
Fahrenheit 451 · 1953-01-01 · Dystopian fiction, philosophical fiction
- Author:
- Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel features a title referring to the temperature at which book paper is said to catch fire and burn. The story follows Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is not to extinguish fires but to burn illegal books in a society that has outlawed independent thought. As Montag begins to question his role, the temperature scale becomes a symbol of the destructive power used to censor knowledge.