Fahrenheit thermometer
- noun
- /ˈfɛrənˌhaɪt θərˈmɑːmɪtər/
- US
- We compared the readings of a Fahrenheit thermometer with those of a Celsius one.
Examples
-
She bought a Fahrenheit thermometer for her kitchen to ensure food safety.
-
The laboratory used a Fahrenheit thermometer to record the temperature changes during the experiment.
-
The Fahrenheit thermometer showed a temperature of 75 degrees.
-
Do you have a Fahrenheit thermometer at home?
-
The laboratory used a Fahrenheit thermometer to ensure accurate temperature readings in their experiments.
-
She bought a Fahrenheit thermometer to measure the heat in her home during the winter months.
-
During the science fair, we displayed our Fahrenheit thermometer alongside a Celsius model for comparison.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound names the instrument ('thermometer') qualified by the scale name ('Fahrenheit'), so its meaning — a thermometer graduated in degrees Fahrenheit — is directly derivable from the constituents. This is a straightforward compositional pattern (cf. 'Celsius thermometer') that a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand.
Etymology
Fahrenheit thermometer is named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, who made an early thermometer and set the numbers of a new 'temperature scale' in the 1700s. A thermometer that shows temperature in those numbers is called a Fahrenheit thermometer, so today the phrase means 'a thermometer that uses that scale'.