horsepower

[ hawrs-pou-er ]

noun

1. a foot-pound-second unit of power, pow, power, equivalent to 550 foot-pounds per second, or 745.7 watts.
2. Informal. the capacity to achieve or produce; strength or talent:

   The university's history faculty is noted for its intellectual horsepower.

horsepower

/ ˈhɔːsˌpaʊə /

noun

1. an fps unit of power, equal to 550 foot-pounds per second (equivalent to 745.7 watts)
2. a US standard unit of power, equal to 746 watts

horsepower

/ hôrs′pou′ər /

1. A unit that is used to measure the power of engines and motors. One unit of horsepower is equal to the power needed to lift 550 pounds one foot in one second. This unit has been widely replaced by the watt in scientific usage; one horsepower is equal to 745.7 watts.

horsepower

1. A unit of power equal to about 746 watts .

Notes

The horsepower is used to measure the power of engines.

This term was coined by James Watt , who invented a new type of steam engine in the eighteenth century. Watt found that the horse could do a certain amount of work per second; when he sold his steam engines, this measurement allowed him to estimate the worth of an engine in terms of the number of horses it would replace. Therefore, a six-horsepower engine was capable of replacing six horses.

Word History and Origins

Origin of horsepower¹

First recorded in 1800–10; horse + power

Example Sentences

The Colorado has just a single turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 237 horsepower; an upgraded version is also available with 310 horsepower.

From Seattle Times

He had too much else to worry about, Newgarden insisted, and helping his boss understand how Newgarden illegally used extra boosts of horsepower to win the March opening race was a bigger priority.

From Seattle Times

Some six weeks after Newgarden’s victory in St. Petersburg, Florida, IndyCar discovered the three Penske cars had an illegal version of the push-to-pass software installed that allowed their drivers to use the horsepower boost when no others in the field had access to the advantage.

From Seattle Times

The drivers were found to have illegally used their push-to-pass boost of additional horsepower when it was not allowed.

From Seattle Times

IndyCar detected about six weeks after Newgarden’s victory in March that he and McLaughlin illegally accessed a boost of horsepower when they were not permitted.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• dynamism
• electricity
• heat
• potential
• service
• strength