Fahrenheit

/ˈfærənhaɪt/ noun

Definition

A temperature scale in which water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees under standard conditions.

Etymology

Named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, an 18th‑century German‑Polish physicist who created the scale. He based his degrees on experiments with freezing brine and human body temperature.

Kelly Says

Fahrenheit’s zero wasn’t “no heat”; it was the coldest temperature he could reliably make in his lab. The scale feels random until you realize it was built around what one scientist could measure with the tools of his time.

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