| thermal pollution |
the releasing of large quantities of heated air or water that disrupt the local ecological balance. |
| thermal spring |
a spring with water that is of a higher temperature than the mean annual temperature of the spring's locale. |
| thermic |
of, pertaining to, or resulting from heat; thermal. |
| thermionic tube |
a vacuum tube in which an electrically heated cathode causes the emission of electrons or ions. |
| thermistor |
an electronic resistor made of solid semiconducting material, whose resistance increases with a decrease in temperature, and that is used to measure temperature variations in body cells, microwaves, or the like. |
| thermo- |
heat. |
| thermocline |
a layer of water between the warm surface water and the cold deep water of a lake, bay, or the like, within which the temperature changes rapidly. |
| thermocouple |
a pair of dissimilar conductors, joined at two points to form a closed circuit, that produce a thermoelectric current when their junctions are maintained at different temperatures. |
| thermodynamic |
of or concerning thermodynamics. [2 definitions] |
| thermodynamics |
(used with a sing. verb) the branch of physics concerned with the relationship between heat and other energy forms. |
| thermoelectric |
of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or caused by the direct relationship between heat and electricity. |
| thermoelectricity |
electricity that is generated by heating or cooling the junctions of a thermocouple. |
| thermogram |
a record of temperature variations that is made by a thermograph. |
| thermograph |
a thermometer containing an infrared camera that automatically records the temperature it measures. |
| thermographic |
of or related to thermography. |
| thermography |
the use of an infrared camera to measure temperature variations within an object or body part. [2 definitions] |
| thermojunction |
the point of contact made when the two conductors of a thermocouple are joined together. |
| thermometer |
an instrument for measuring temperature, esp. a sealed glass tube with a calibrated scale on the outside and a column of liquid, usu. mercury, inside that rises or falls as the temperature changes. |
| thermonuclear |
of, pertaining to, or resulting from the fusion of the nuclei of a gas at very high temperatures. [2 definitions] |
| thermopile |
a device consisting of a series of connected thermocouples, used to generate thermoelectric current or to measure very small changes in temperature. |
| thermoplastic |
softening and becoming pliable when heated, but returning to its original state and properties when cooled, as certain plastics and resins. [2 definitions] |