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Glite Dictionary
centigrade scale

centigrade scale

3.3
A way to measure temperature where water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛn.tɪ.ɡreɪd skeɪl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : escala centígrada
  • Many scientific experiments record temperatures using the centigrade scale for consistency.

Examples

  • Water boils at 100 degrees on the centigrade scale under standard atmospheric pressure.

  • The centigrade scale is widely used in most countries outside the United States.

  • The water freezes at 0 degrees on the centigrade scale.

  • What is the temperature in centigrade scale?

  • The Celsius temperature scale is also referred to as the centigrade scale.

  • In 1948, the use of the centigrade scale was dropped in favor of the Celsius scale.

  • Following a different path, in 1742, the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius proposed the centigrade scale for measuring temperature.

Synonyms

Celsius
vscentigrade scale
1 2.7

A temperature scale where water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees

is the older full phrase rather than the shorter name
Celsius scale
vscentigrade scale
3.1

A temperature scale where 0 degrees is water's freezing and 100 degrees its boiling

is the older alternative full phrase for the same scale

Antonyms

Fahrenheit scale
4.0

A scale for measuring temperature where water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees

Surface Forms

centigrade scale singular
centigrade scales plural

Morphology

centigrade + scale

The phrase is a straightforward noun phrase combining 'centigrade' (a temperature scale) with 'scale' (a measurement system), so the meaning — the temperature measurement system with 0/100 reference points — is directly derivable from its parts. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically transparent and corresponds to the commonly known Celsius scale, so learners who know both words will understand it.

Etymology

Centigrade scale comes from words that mean 'a hundred steps' — centi means 'hundred' and grade means 'step'. People called it this because there are 100 steps between water's freezing point zero and boiling point one hundred, so the scale gives a simple way to measure temperature and today it is often called the 'Celsius' scale.