Calor

/ˈkæl.ɚ/ noun

Definition

Heat or warmth, particularly used in scientific or medical contexts to describe thermal energy or the sensation of heat.

Etymology

From Latin 'calor' meaning heat or warmth, the same root used in 'calorie' and 'calorimeter.' The word was commonly used in medieval and Renaissance medicine to discuss the body's heat.

Kelly Says

In ancient medical theory, calor was one of the four cardinal signs of inflammation (along with rubor—redness, tumor—swelling, and dolor—pain), a framework so useful that doctors still use it today even though the underlying theory was completely wrong.

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