Heat that is released or remains after an initial heat source has diminished, such as residual heat in a furnace or body heat retention after exercise.
Compound of 'after' (Old English 'æfter') and 'heat' (Old English 'hæte', from Proto-Germanic 'haitiz'). Technical term in physics and engineering.
Nuclear reactors produce dangerous afterheat for hours after shutdown from radioactive decay—which is why the Fukushima disaster occurred when backup cooling failed, showing that 'turning off' a reactor doesn't stop heat generation.
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