thermo-, therm-, thermi-, -thermia, -therm, -thermal, -thermic, -thermias, -thermies, -thermous, -thermy +
(Greek: heat, hot; warm)
The term heat is employed in ordinary language in different senses. Some scientists distinguish four principal applications of the term:
- Sensation of heat.
- Temperature, or degree of hotness.
- Quantity of thermal energy.
- Radiant heat, or energy of radiation.
gigantothermy
The ability of an organism to maintain a constant, relatively high body temperature due to its having a large body and insulation.
Larger animals have a relatively low surface area to body volume ratio, so they retain heat better than smaller animals.
hekistothermic, hekistotherm, hekistothermy
1. An organism living above or beyond the tree line and frequently in areas of heavy snow.
2. A plant with a requirement for a temperature of less than 10ºC in the warmest month, typically occurring in regions with a mean annual temperature below 0ºC; sometimes used to refer to those organisms living above the tree line in areas of heavy snow.
3. A plant that can grow in very cold environments, as the arctic and antarctic lichens and mosses.
heliotherm, heliothermia
1. An organism that warms its body in the direct rays of the sun.
2. A reference to organisms that maintain a comparatively high body temperature by basking in sunlight.
heliothermal
Any process which uses solar radiation to produce useful heat.
heliothermic
1. Construction planning that provides for natural solar heating and cooling processes and their relationship to a building's shape, orientation, and siting.
2. A description of a lake whose temperature increases, rather than decreases, with depth.
3. Descriptive of a creature absorbing heat and energy from the sun.
This term is sometimes used in place of ectothermic, or "cold-blooded".
hematothermal, haematothermal
Warm blooded.
hematothermic, haematothermic
Descriptive of any animal which is warm blooded.
hematothermous, haematothermous
A reference to animals which are warm blooded.
hemithermoanesthesia
Loss of sensibility to heat and cold affecting one side of the body.
heterotherm, heterothermic, heterothermal
Having a temperature which varies with that of the environment; such as, plants and cold-blooded animals.
heterothermy, heterothermal
1. Having a temperature which varies with that of the surroundings, as plants and cold-blooded animals; cold-blooded.
2. The exhibition of widely different body temperatures at different times or under different conditions, as certain species of birds, marsupials, or hibernating species.
homeotherm, homeothermal, homeothermic
1. Any of the animals, including mammals and birds, that tend to maintain a constant body temperature.
2. Maintaining an almost constant body temperature; warm-blooded; homothermous, etc.
3. An organism, such as a mammal or bird, having a body temperature that is constant and largely independent of the temperature of its surroundings; an endotherm.
homeothermy
A reference to an organism which is able to regulate physiologically the rate of heat production and heat loss so as to maintain itself at constant temperature independently of the envioronmental temperature; warm-blooded.
homoeotherm, homoeothermic, homoeothermal, homoeothermy
Any of the animals, including mammals and birds, that tend to maintain a constant body temperature.
homoiothermal, homoiothermic, homoiothermous
1. Any of the animals, including mammals and birds, that tend to maintain a constant body temperature.
2. Maintaining an almost constant body temperature; warm-blooded; homothermous, etc.
3. An organism, such as a mammal or bird, having a body temperature that is constant and largely independent of the temperature of its surroundings; an endotherm.
Thermo Quiz #1 to check your thermo-word knowledge.
Thermo Quiz #2 to check more of your thermo-word knowledge.
Thermo Quiz #3 for additional thermo-words.
Related "heat, hot" word units:
ferv-;
pyreto-.
Related "bubble" word unit:
ebulli-.
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