Calorie

Calorie
(kcal or Cal)
   a common name for the MKS unit of heat energy. This unit is properly called the kilocalorie; it is also called the kilogram calorie or large calorie. It is often (but certainly not always!) distinguished from the small calorie by capitalizing its name and symbol. The large calorie, or rather kilocalorie, is the amount of heat required at a pressure of one atmosphere to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. Since this is 1000 times as much water as mentioned in the definition of the small calorie, the kilocalorie equals 1000 small calories, 4.1868 kilojoules, 3.9683 Btu, or 1.163 watt hours. (These conversions assume the IT calorie is in use; see previous entry.) These are the "calories" that joggers are trying to get rid of, the ones we gain by eating. The use of the same term "calorie" for two different-size units is endlessly confusing, but we seem to be stuck with it.

Dictionary of units of measurement. 2015.

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  • calorie — [ kalɔri ] n. f. • 1824; lat. calor → chaleur 1 ♦ Métrol. Ancienne unité de mesure de quantité de chaleur (abrév. cal), valant 4,184 joules. vx Petite calorie : calorie. Grande calorie : 1 000 calories. ⇒ kilocalorie. 2 ♦ Unité de mesure de la… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Calorie — (unité) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cal …   Wikipédia en Français

  • calorie — CALORÍE, calorii, s.f. Unitate de măsură egală cu cantitatea de căldură care ridică temperatura unui gram de apă distilată de la 19,5 la 20,5 °C; unitate de măsură care indică valoarea energetică a unui aliment. ♢ (fiz.) Calorie mare =… …   Dicționar Român

  • calorie — [kal′ə rē] n. [Fr < L calor, heat; akin to calere, to be warm < IE base * kel , warm > OE hlēowe, warm] 1. the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree celsius; gram calorie; small calorie 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • calorie — 1866, from Fr. calorie, from L. calor (gen. caloris) heat, from PIE *kle os , suffixed form of root *kele (1) warm (Cf. L. calidus warm, calere be hot; Skt. carad harvest, lit. hot time; Lith. silti …   Etymology dictionary

  • calorie — ► NOUN (pl. calories) 1) (also large calorie) a unit of energy, often used in specifying the energy value of foods, equal to the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water through 1 °C (4.1868 kilojoules). 2) (also small… …   English terms dictionary

  • calorie — originally a unit of heat (from Latin calor, ‘heat’), in the 20c has stepped out of the physics laboratory into general use as a measure of the energy value of food. The general public have adopted what physicists call the large calorie (i.e. the …   Modern English usage

  • Calorie — Cal o*rie, n. [F., fr. L. calor heat.] (Physics) The unit of heat according to the French standard; the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram (sometimes, one gram) of water one degree centigrade, or from 0[deg] to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Calorie — This article is about the unit of energy. For its use in nutrition and food labelling regulations, see the article on food energy. The calorie is a pre SI unit of energy, in particular, heat.International Standard ISO 31 4: Quantities and units – …   Wikipedia

  • calorie — /kal euh ree/, n. 1. Thermodynam. a. Also called gram calorie, small calorie. an amount of heat exactly equal to 4.1840 joules. Abbr.: cal b. (usually cap.) kilocalorie. Abbr.: Cal 2. Physiol. a. a unit equal to the kilocalorie, used to express… …   Universalium

  • Calorie — A unit of food energy. In nutrition terms, the word calorie is used instead of the more precise scientific term kilocalorie. A kilocalorie represents the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a liter of water one degree centigrade …   Medical dictionary

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