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] |
thermoregulation |
the maintenance by a living body of a constant internal body temperature regardless of outside environmental temperature. |
Thermos |
trademark for a container using an inside vacuum holder to keep beverages or foods at their original temperature. [2 definitions] |
thermosetting |
denoting materials that harden and set permanently under heat, such as certain resins. |