/ ˈtemprətʃə(r); NAmE ; NAmE also -tʃʊr/ noun [ C , U ] ( abbr. temp )
1.
the measurement in degrees of how hot or cold a thing or place is :
high / low temperatures
a fall / drop in temperature
a rise in temperature
The temperature has risen (by) five degrees.
Heat the oven to a temperature of 200°C (= degrees centigrade ) .
Some places have had temperatures in the 40s (= over 40° centigrade ) .
—see also absolute temperature , room temperature
2.
the measurement of how hot sb's body is :
to take sb's temperature (= measure the temperature of sb's body using a special instrument)
Does he have a temperature (= is it higher than normal, because of illness) ?
She's running a temperature (= it is higher than normal) .
He's in bed with a temperature of 40°.
—compare fever
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IDIOMS
- raise / lower the temperature
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from French température or Latin temperatura , from temperare restrain. The word originally denoted the state of being tempered or mixed, later becoming synonymous with temperament . The modern sense dates from the late 17th cent.