therm

¹

or therme

[ thurm ]

noun

, Physics.

1. any of several units of heat, as one equivalent to 1000 large calories or 100,000 British thermal units.

therm-

²

1. variant of thermo- before a vowel:

   thermesthesia.

-therm

³

1. variant of thermo- as final element in compound words:

   isotherm.

therm.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. thermometer.

therm

/ θɜːm /

noun

1. a unit of heat equal to 100 000 British thermal units. One therm is equal to 1.055 056 × 10 ⁸joules

Word History and Origins

Origin of therm¹

First recorded in 1885–90, therm is from the Greek word thérmē heat

Word History and Origins

Origin of therm¹

C19: from Greek thermē heat

Example Sentences

They burn up to 90,000 therms a day to feed a 7.5-mile network of pipes that provide steam, hot water and emergency electricity for the campus, including a hospital and laboratories.

From Seattle Times

In August, the UK benchmark price for gas for delivery the following day peaked at 550p a therm.

From BBC

In recent days, the price paid per therm of gas has reached above £4, compared with an average so far of £2.60.

From BBC

"I'm not sure an increase in UK supply would have brought the price down from £3 a therm, as it was in December, from 50p as it was a year ago," he said.

From BBC

Wholesale costs hit another record this week of 450p a therm, which experts predict could take average annual bills to about £2,000 next year.

From BBC