Relating to a temperature scale where water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees, divided into 100 equal parts.
From Latin 'centum' meaning 'hundred' and 'gradus' meaning 'step' or 'degree'. Coined in the 18th century when Anders Celsius developed the 100-degree temperature scale.
Centigrade literally means '100 steps', reflecting the beautifully logical decision to divide the range between water's freezing and boiling points into exactly 100 degrees. Though we now call it Celsius after its inventor, centigrade better captures the mathematical elegance of the decimal-based system that makes temperature calculations so much simpler than Fahrenheit.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.