heat
1. a. the energy transferred as a result of a difference in temperature
b. the random kinetic energy of the atoms, molecules, or ions in a substance or body
2. the sensation caused in the body by heat energy; warmth
3. a period or condition of sexual excitement in female mammals that occurs at oestrus
4. Sporta. a preliminary eliminating contest in a competition
b. a single section of a contest
5. on or in heata. (of some female mammals) sexually receptive
b. in a state of sexual excitement
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Heat
For the purposes of thermodynamics, it is convenient to define all energy while in transit, but unassociated with matter, as either heat or work. Heat is that form of energy in transit due to a temperature difference between the source from which the energy is coming and the sink toward which the energy is going. The energy is not called heat before it starts to flow or after it has ceased to flow. A hot object does contain energy, but calling this energy heat as it resides in the hot object can lead to widespread confusion. See Energy, Internal energy, Temperature, Thermodynamic principles
McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Physics. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
heat
[hēt] (thermodynamics)
Energy in transit due to a temperature difference between the source from which the energy is coming and a sink toward which the energy is going; other types of energy in transit are called work.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
heat
The form of energy that is transferred by virtue of a temperature difference between two bodies, the transfer being from the warmer to the cooler body.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Heat
a sensation of excessive warmth, usually confirmed by elevation of body temperature. Heat may be felt by some persons without a rise of body temperature; this can be caused by functional disturbances of the nervous system or by the introduction of certain medications (for example, nicotinic acid, magnesium sulfate, and calcium chloride) that cause dilatation of the blood vessels. Local sensation of heat can result from arterial hyperemia, a change in blood circulation, and increased metabolism in inflamed tissues.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.