I. ˈhēt, usu -ēd.+V verb
( heated ˈhēd.ə̇d, -ētə̇d ; also dialect het ˈhet, usu -ed.+V ; heated also dialect het ; heating ; heats )
Etymology: Middle English heten, from Old English hǣtan; akin to Old High German heizen to heat, Middle Dutch heten, Old Norse heita; causative-denominatives from the root of English hot
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to become warm or hot : rise in temperature
water heating in a large kettle
the room slowly heated
b. : to become hot and spoil due to excessive or abnormal respiratory or fermentative activity
grain containing excessive moisture may heat seriously in the bin
2. : to become excited, moved, or inflamed in mind or spirit
cannot see injustice without heating
transitive verb
1. : to make warm or hot : raise the temperature of
heat the oven to 350 degrees
water heated by the sun
2. : to arouse the emotion or spirit of : excite, move, or inflame usually intensely or to a course of action
his arrogance heats me beyond enduring
these stirring words heated us all
3. : to make (as the human body) feverish or excessively hot
wine heats the blood
he was heated by the long dry climb
4. obsolete : to run over (ground) : cover (ground) in or as if in a race
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English hete, from Old English hǣte, hǣtu; akin to Old Frisian hēte heat, Old High German heizi; derivatives from the root of English hot
1.
a. : the state of a body or of matter that is perceived as opposed to cold and is characterized by elevation of temperature : a condition of being hot : warmth , hotness
the iron lost its heat in contact with the cold ground
usually : a marked or notable degree of this state : high temperature
the heat was intense
you'll need a good heat to burn that damp rubbish
midsummer heat
a heat of 500 degrees
b.
(1) : a feverish state of the body : pathological excessive bodily temperature (as from inflammation)
knew the throbbing heat of an abscess
sponged him with alcohol to relieve the heat of the fever
(2) : a warm flushed condition of the body (as after exercise) : a sensation produced by or like that produced by contact with or approach to heated matter
felt the heat rise in her face as she returned his look
c. : a hot place or situation (as a fire)
the legendary salamander dallying at the heart of the heat
out in the heat all afternoon long
dormant flies coming out into the heat
d.
(1) : a period of heat or of exposure to heat
requires a heat of several hours to get out all the moisture
had an unbroken heat since the first of June
(2) : a single complete operation of heating (as at a forge or in a furnace) ; also : the quantity of material so heated
e.
(1) : a form of energy the addition of which causes substances to rise in temperature, fuse, evaporate, expand, or undergo any of various other related changes, which flows to a body by contact with or radiation from bodies at higher temperatures, and which can be produced in a body (as by compression)
(2) : the energy associated with the random motions of the molecules, atoms, or smaller structural units of which matter is composed
f. : an indication of temperature attained as manifested by the condition, appearance, or color of a body
when the rod is at the proper welding heat
— compare red heat
g. : one of a series of discrete rates or intensities of heating
an electric iron may have three heats
2.
a. : intensity of feeling or reaction (as in fury, vehemence, or agitation of mind)
answered with considerable heat
such a heat of eloquence flowed forth
b. : the height or stress of an action or condition
in the heat of battle
during the first heat of the epidemic
c.
(1) : sexual excitement especially in a female mammal : estrus : a state in which a female will accept service by a male — usually used with in or into or, especially Brit., with on
ewes come on heat soon after flushing
like a bitch in heat
(2) : the time or duration of heat : an episode of heat
a mare is most likely to settle during the foal heat that occurs two or three weeks after parturition
3. : one of the fundamental qualities of bodies, elements, or humors recognized in medieval physiology
4. : pungency of flavor
cherry peppers have greater heat than most
the tangy heat of crystallized ginger
5. : a vigorous or violent unintermitted action : a single continuous effort
set down the outline of his paper at a single heat
as
a.
(1) : a single course in a race or other contest that consists of two or more courses for all contestants
won two heats out of three
(2) : one of several preliminary races held to eliminate less competent contenders from the final race when contestants are too numerous to compete at once
swam in the second heat and won, but lost out in the final race
b. : a field trial event in which two dogs compete directly with each other and usually by comparison with other braces competing in the field trial
c.
(1) slang : the intensification of law-enforcement activity or investigational pressure usually with special concern for a particular kind of crime or criminal
the bookies are out of business till the heat is off
(2) : pressure or coercion intended to influence a course of action or events
taxpayers got relief by turning the heat on their congressmen
(3) : strain, tension, or difficulty resulting from the pressure of events
weaken when the heat is on
6.
a. : a charge of metal made in a Bessemer converter or the steel scrap, pig, or molten iron, limestone, and fluxes in the open-hearth or electric furnace
b. : the resulting molten steel
c. : the ingots charged into the soaking pits or the blooms charged into the reheating furnace
III. noun
1. slang : police
2. : baseball pitches that are extremely hard and fast
3. slang : gun