centigrade
/ˈsɛntɪɡreɪd
/adjective [postpositive when used with a numeral]
another term for Celsius.This was a sunny day, with the temperature in the low to mid twenties centigrade, so the tables were mostly full....
- Day-time temperatures are frequently in the low twenties centigrade but, once night falls, they plummet to minus ten or even below that in a matter of minutes.
- Thermal conditions are also extreme, with external temperatures ranging from plus or minus more than a hundred degrees centigrade.
noun
(also centigrade scale) The Celsius scale of temperature.At first glance, it would appear that, with zero set at the freezing point of water at sea level and 100 at the boiling point, the centigrade scale is logical and obvious....
- He observes that, while the centigrade scale may be preferential for scientists working in laboratories, the Fahrenheit scale is more suitable for measuring air temperatures to which we are all subject.
- For the next 204 years, the scientific and thermometry communities world-wide referred to this scale as the ‘centigrade scale.’
Usage
In giving temperatures, use Celsius rather than centigrade in all contexts.
Origin
Early 19th century: from French, from Latin centum 'a hundred' + gradus 'step'.