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Glite Dictionary
horsepower-hour

horsepower-hour

7.7
Amount of work one horsepower does in one hour
  • noun
  • /ˈhɔrsˌpaʊər haʊr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : caballo de fuerza-hora
  • For example, the engine generates less than 2 grams of nitrogen oxide per horsepower-hour.

Examples

  • After running for an hour, the car consumed 5 horsepower-hour of energy during its test drive.

  • In engineering calculations, we often estimate the total energy usage in horsepower-hour to gauge performance.

  • The generator produces a steady output of 10 horsepower-hour, providing enough power for the entire workshop.

Synonyms

kilowatt hour
vshorsepower-hour
  • Specialized
8 3.2

The energy used by a 1,000-watt device in one hour

uses a larger power unit for one hour instead of a thousand small ones
watt-hour
vshorsepower-hour
  • Specialized
1 4.2

Energy that one watt of power uses in one hour

uses a much larger power unit for an hour rather than a tiny one
kW-hr
vshorsepower-hour
  • Specialized
3.7

The amount of energy a 1,000-watt device uses in one hour

is used in engineering contexts rather than for electricity billing

Surface Forms

horsepower-hour singular
horsepower-hours plural

Morphology

horsepower-hour = horsepower (semi-transparent) = horse + power + hour

The immediate base is the compound unit 'horsepower', which is itself a compound and a technical unit whose meaning (as a measure of power) is somewhat specialized rather than fully predictable from 'horse' + 'power'.

Etymology

Horsepower-hour comes from joining the unit horsepower, a name that compared an engine's strength to a working horse, and hour which means 'time'. So a horsepower-hour is the amount of work one horsepower does in one hour, like one strong horse working for one hour.