kilocalorie
noun
Simple meaning
A unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere pressure.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kilohkalereeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɪloʊˈkælɚi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere pressure; used by nutritionists to characterize the energy-producing potential in food
A non-SI unit of energy equal to 1,000 calories (small calories), used (now rare) in chemistry or physics; equal to 1 calorie as used in nutrition. Symbol kcal.
Word at a Glance
- Typical Use
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: A unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere pressure; used by nutritionists to characterize the energy-producing potential in food
Used this way, kilocalorie is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This sense is used where position and measurement matter — travel, weather and flight — so it reads as factual rather than emotive.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Geography/travel
- Weather/aviation
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere pressure
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