Thermal means relating to or caused by heat or by changes in temperature.
...thermal power stations.
...financial assistance with repair, thermal insulation and improvements to homesthrough Government grants.
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Thermal streams or baths contain water which is naturally hot or warm.
Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Thermal clothes are specially designed to keep you warm in cold weather.
My feet were like blocks of ice despite the thermal socks.
I put on my thermal leggings, long socks and the rest of my clothes.
Thermals are thermal clothes.
Have you got your thermals on?
4. countable noun
A thermal is a movement of rising warm air.
Birds use thermals to lift them through the air.
thermal in British English
(ˈθɜːməl)
adjective
1. Also: thermic (ˈθɜːmɪk)
of, relating to, caused by, or generating heat or increased temperature
2.
hot or warm
thermal baths
thermal spring
3.
(of garments or fabrics) specially designed so as to have exceptional heat-retaining properties
noun
4. meteorology
a column of rising air caused by local unequal heating of the land surface, and used by gliders and birds to gain height
5. (plural)
thermal garments, esp underclothes
Derived forms
thermally (ˈthermally)
adverb
thermal in American English
(ˈθɜrməl)
adjective
1.
having to do with heat, hot springs, etc.
2.
warm or hot
3. US
designating or of a loosely knitted material honeycombed with air spaces for insulation to help retain body heat
thermal underwear
noun
4.
a rising column of warm air, caused by the uneven heating of the earth or sea by the sun
Derived forms
thermally (ˈthermally)
adverb
Word origin
Fr < Gr thermē, heat: see warm
Examples of 'thermal' in a sentence
thermal
Now there's a fabulous thermal suite and a comfy sitting room with a terrace overlooking the lake.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It has also increased the use of thermal scanners at its international airport.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The crucial transition was from thermal to mechanical energy.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The homes also have good thermal insulation.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The thermal suite is small but perfectly formed.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Soak in one of the grand thermal baths.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We watched it explode from the safety of a natural thermal pool.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
All our energy is thermal and free.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The spa has a unique thermal bathing area and has been designed for couples and groups to enjoy together.
The Sun (2015)
The thermal tops and leggings are pretty enough to strip down to in an off-piste moment.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The hotel has a spa, pool and offers access to the thermal baths near by.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
First stop is the underground Roman thermal baths.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
A police chopper tried to spot the snake from the air with its thermal imaging camera.
The Sun (2012)
I would also love to plunge into those amazing hot thermal pools.
The Sun (2015)
Dry naturally where possible and when you do need to apply heat to your hair, always use a thermal protective spray.
The Sun (2014)
But for most visitors, it is the thermal hot springs and volcanic spas that offer the best way to rest and relax.
The Sun (2013)
Take time to explore the thermal suite by the pool - where you can indulge in a crystal steam room or a herbal sauna.
The Sun (2010)
Military spy technology is used to take thermal images of heat escaping from homes, so that homeowners can be shamed into improving insulation.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Once the exertion is over you return to the camp's wooden chalets to soak up the tranquil setting or unwind in the thermal pools.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
And you can unwind in one of Britain's best thermal suites.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Hot Spot uses thermal imaging to show any impact in bright white, below right.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There is a smart new gym, but no luxurious thermal suite, and the relaxation space is unimpressive.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The prize includes flights from a range of UK airports, as well as use of a thermal suit and boots.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Still, you do get unlimited complimentary use of the thermal suite with its plunge and spa pools, sauna and the first snow room at sea.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Word lists with
thermal
Meteorological terms
In other languages
thermal
British English: thermal ADJECTIVE
relating to heatThermal means relating to or caused by heat or by changes in temperature.
...thermal power stations.
American English: thermal
Brazilian Portuguese: térmico
Chinese: 热的
European Spanish: térmico
French: thermique
German: Thermal-
Italian: termico
Japanese: 熱の
Korean: 열의
European Portuguese: térmico
Latin American Spanish: térmico
British English: thermal ADJECTIVE
clothesThermal clothes are specially designed to keep you warm in cold weather.
...thermal underwear.
American English: thermal
Brazilian Portuguese: térmico
Chinese: 保暖衣
European Spanish: térmico
French: en fibre thermorégulatriceN
German: Thermo-
Italian: termico
Japanese: 防寒の
Korean: 보온성이 좋은
European Portuguese: térmico
Latin American Spanish: térmico
All related terms of 'thermal'
thermal baths
baths using water from hot springs
thermal noise
electrical noise caused by thermal agitation of conducting electrons
thermal paper
heat-sensitive paper that is impregnated with a chemical; it is used in thermal printers
thermal power
power produced by converting heat into electricity
thermal shock
a fluctuation in temperature causing stress in a material. It often results in fracture , esp in brittle materials such as ceramics
thermal unit
a unit of heat in the fps system equal to the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1° F . 1 British thermal unit is equivalent to 1055.06 joules or 251.997 calories
thermal barrier
an obstacle to flight at very high speeds as a result of the heating effect of air friction
thermal blanket
a specially warm blanket
thermal equator
an imaginary line round the earth running through the point on each meridian with the highest average temperature . It lies mainly to the north because of the larger landmasses and therefore greater summer heating
thermal imager
a piece of equipment used to detect or provide images of people or things
thermal imaging
Thermal imaging is the use of special equipment that can detect the heat produced by people or things and use it to produce images of them.
thermal printer
a printer that produces characters by burning the image on specially coated paper
thermal reactor
a nuclear reactor in which most of the fission is caused by thermal neutrons
thermal spring
a spring whose water has a temperature greater than the mean annual temperature of its locality
thermal stress
Thermal stress is stress caused by differences in temperature or by differences in thermal expansion .
thermal constant
a quantity that is considered invariable throughout a series of calculations relating to the heat of bodies
thermal cracking
Thermal cracking is an extraction process in which hydrocarbons such as crude oil are heated to a high temperature to break the molecular bonds .
thermal efficiency
the ratio of the work done by a heat engine to the energy supplied to it
thermal expansion
expansion caused by heat
thermal neutrons
slow neutrons that are approximately in thermal equilibrium with a moderator . They have a distribution of speeds similar to that of the molecules of a gas at the temperature of the moderator. Data concerning nuclear interactions are often given for standard thermal neutrons of speed 2200 metres per second, which is approximately the most probable speed at normal laboratory temperatures
thermal pollution
the discharge of heated liquid or air into lakes, rivers , etc., as by an industry or nuclear power plant, causing such a rise in the water temperature as to affect the life cycles within the water and disrupt the ecological balance
thermal underwear
underwear designed to retain body heat in cold temperatures
thermal conductivity
a measure of the ability of a substance to conduct heat, determined by the rate of heat flow normally through an area in the substance divided by the area and by minus the component of the temperature gradient in the direction of flow: measured in watts per metre per kelvin
thermal decomposition
Thermal decomposition is the process in which a chemical species breaks down when its temperature is increased.
British thermal unit
a unit of heat in the fps system equal to the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1° F . 1 British thermal unit is equivalent to 1055.06 joules or 251.997 calories
thermal power station
a power station in which heat is converted into electricity
thermal imaging camera
a camera that can make infrared radiation visible
thermal imaging system
equipment providing images of a target , or of a person or thing under examination
thermal imaging equipment
heat-sensitive devices that can detect or provide images of people or things
heat constant
a quantity that is considered invariable throughout a series of calculations relating to the heat of bodies
heat efficiency
the ratio of the work done by a heat engine to the energy supplied to it
-thermy
indicating heat
btu
British thermal unit
electrothermal printer
a printer that produces characters by burning the image on specially coated paper
hot spring
a natural spring of mineral water at a temperature of 21°C (70° F ) or above, found in areas of volcanic activity