ABSOLUTE ZERO

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does absolute zero mean? 

• ABSOLUTE ZERO (noun)
  The noun ABSOLUTE ZERO has 1 sense:

1. (cryogenics) the lowest temperature theoretically attainable (at which the kinetic energy of atoms and molecules is minimal); 0 Kelvin or -273.15 centigrade or -459.67 Fahrenheit

  Familiarity information: ABSOLUTE ZERO used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ABSOLUTE ZERO (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(cryogenics) the lowest temperature theoretically attainable (at which the kinetic energy of atoms and molecules is minimal); 0 Kelvin or -273.15 centigrade or -459.67 Fahrenheit

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("absolute zero" is a kind of...):

temperature (the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity))

Domain category:

cryogenics; cryogeny (the branch of physics that studies the phenomena that occur at very low temperatures)

 Context examples 

For now, early in the star-formation process, the clumps remain quite cold, just a few tens of degrees above absolute zero.

(Herschel sees budding stars and a giant, strange ring, NASA)

The current official definition of the Celsius sets 0.01 C to be at the triple point of water and a degree to be 1/273.16 of the difference in temperature between the triple point of water and absolute zero.

(Degree Celsius, NCI Thesaurus)

It is 1/273.16th of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water, This sets the size of the kelvin unit for temperature differences and defines the thermodynamic temperature of an equilibrium mixture of waters ice-liquid-vapor as 273.16 K, where 0 K is the lowest possible temperature (absolute zero).

(Kelvin, NCI Thesaurus)