ENGLISH
REFERENCE

heat

n. · v.
US //ˈhit// UK //hˈiːt// heat
  1. 1 high temperature (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the quality of being hot or the energy that makes things warm.

    the quality of being hot; thermal energy or the sensation produced by it.

    Example

    The heat from the desert sun was almost too much to bear.

    Example

    The intense heat radiating from the furnace made it impossible for the workers to stand nearby for more than a few minutes.
  2. 2 a heating system (n.)
    B1 Intermediate American English

    the system that keeps a building warm.

    a system or apparatus used to maintain a comfortable temperature within a building.

    Example

    It was so cold in the apartment that we had to turn the heat up.

    Example

    The landlord promised to repair the central heat before the first major frost of the season arrived.
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  1. 3 a race round (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    one of the early races to decide who goes into the final.

    a preliminary round in a race or competition used to determine the finalists.

    Example

    She won her heat easily and moved on to the final race.

    Example

    After a disappointing performance in the first heat, the sprinter adjusted his starting block position for the second round.
  2. 4 spiciness (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Cooking

    the burning feeling in your mouth from spicy food.

    the quality of being spicy or pungent, typically caused by capsaicin in peppers.

    Example

    The chili had a lot of heat, so I drank some milk to cool my mouth.

    Example

    The chef balanced the heat of the habanero peppers with a cooling mango salsa to create a more complex flavour profile.
    • spiciness
    • pungency
    • mildness
  3. 5 pressure or criticism (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    strong pressure, criticism, or unwanted attention from people like the police.

    intensive pressure, scrutiny, or criticism, often from authorities or an opposing group.

    Example

    The politician felt the heat after the news reported on his secret meetings.

    Example

    The company began to feel the heat from federal regulators after several whistleblowers came forward with evidence of fraud.
  4. 6 to make hot (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to make something warmer or hot.

    to increase the temperature of an object or environment.

    Example

    You can heat the soup in the microwave for two minutes.

    Example

    The laboratory technician needed to heat the solution to exactly eighty degrees to trigger the desired chemical reaction.
Etymology 1

From Middle English hete, from Old English hǣtu, from Proto-West Germanic haitī, from Proto-Germanic haitį̄ (“heat”), from Proto-Indo-European *keHy- (“heat; hot”). Cognate with Scots hete (“heat”), Saterland Frisian Hatte (“heat”), Old High German heizī (“heat”). Related also to Dutch hitte (“heat”), German Hitze (“heat”), Swedish hetta (“heat”), Icelandic hiti (“heat”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English heten, from Old English hǣtan (“to heat; become hot”), from Proto-Germanic *haitijaną (“to heat, make hot”).

Etymology 3

Either an alternative spelling of het (“heated”), a continuation of late Middle English heet, het (an analogical simple past of heten (“to heat”) created on the basis of bet, the past tense of beten (“to beat”)), or a later analogical formation from the past forms of beten's modern reflex beat.

Word family
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