[ə′präk·sə·mət ′ab·sə‚lüt ′tem·prə·chər] (physics) A temperature scale with the ice point at 273° and boiling point of water at 373°; it is intended to approximate the Kelvin temperature scale with sufficient accuracy for many sciences, notably meteorology, and is widely used in the meteorological literature. Also known as tercentesimal thermometric scale.