HEAT

I. verb Etymology: Middle English heten, from Old English hǣtan; akin to Old English hāt hot Date: before 12th century intransitive verb to become warm or hot, to start to spoil from ~, transitive verb to make warm or hot, excite , ~able adjective II. noun Etymology: Middle English hete, from Old English hǣte, hǣtu; akin to Old English hāt hot Date: before 12th century 1. a. a condition of being hot ; warmth , a marked or notable degree of hotness, pathological excessive bodily temperature, a hot place or situation, d. a period of ~, a single complete operation of ~ing, e. added energy that causes substances to rise in temperature, fuse, evaporate, expand, or undergo any of various other related changes, that flows to a body by contact with or radiation from bodies at higher temperatures, and that can be produced in a body (as by compression), the energy associated with the random motions of the molecules, atoms, or smaller structural units of which matter is composed, appearance, condition, or color of a body as indicating its temperature, 2. intensity of feeling or reaction ; passion , the height or stress of an action or condition , sexual excitement especially in a female mammal, a single continuous effort: as, a single round of a contest (as a race) having two or more rounds for each contestant, one of several preliminary contests held to eliminate less competent contenders, pungency of flavor, 5. a. slang the intensification of law-enforcement activity or investigation, police , pressure , coercion , abuse , criticism , smoke 8, gun 1b, ~less adjective ~proof adjective