Word for the day: calorie

calorie |ˈkaləri|      *caloría (in Spanish)



DEFINITION

noun ( pl. calories )

The name calorie is used for two units of energy:

• the small calorie or gram calorie (symbol: cal) which is the approximate amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius;
• large calorie, kilocalorie, kilogram calorie, dietary calorie, nutritionist's calorie or food calorie (symbol: kcal or Cal), equal to 1000 small calories.

ORIGINMid 19th cent.: from French, from Latin calor ‘heat’ + French suffix -ie

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