Centigrade

IPA/ˈsentɪɡreɪd/
KK[sˈɛntəɡrˌed]IPA/ˈsentɪɡreɪd/

Centigrade — noun

1. a method of measuring how hot or cold something is, where zero marks the tempera

1.nounB1
Definition

a method of measuring how hot or cold something is, where zero marks the temperature at which water turns to ice and one hundred marks the temperature at which water turns to steam, widely used in most of the world

Example

The weather forecaster announced that the afternoon high would be thirty-two degrees Centigrade.

collocation: degrees + Centigrade

In class, the lab technician set the water bath to sixty degrees Centigrade.

pattern: number + degrees + Centigrade

Common collocations
  • degrees Centigrade
  • in Centigrade
  • measured in Centigrade
  • Centigrade scale
Synonyms
  • Celsius

    the official scientific name for the same scale; more common in academic and formal writing

Antonyms
  • Fahrenheit

    a different temperature scale used mainly in the United States, where water freezes at 32° and boils at 212°

Grammar Patterns

number + degrees + Centigrade

in + Centigrade

Usage Note

When stating a specific temperature, the pattern 'number + degrees + Centigrade' is standard (e.g. '25 degrees Centigrade'). In everyday speech, 'degrees' is sometimes dropped in contexts like 'It's 30° today.'

Common Mistakes

The water boils at 100° Centigrade degrees.
The water boils at 100 degrees Centigrade.
'degrees' comes before 'Centigrade', not after.
It is 30 Centigrade degrees outside.
It is 30 degrees Centigrade outside.
word order: number → degrees → Centigrade.

Centigrade — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Centigrade and Celsius refer to exactly the same temperature scale — both measure temperature with 0° as the freezing point of water and 100° as the boiling point. Celsius is the official name used in science and international standards, named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius. Centigrade (from Latin centum 'hundred' + gradus 'step') was the original everyday term and is still very common in weather reports, cooking, and casual conversation. Fahrenheit is a completely different scale, used mainly in the United States, where water freezes at 32° and boils at 212°. If an American cookbook says 'preheat to 350°' and a British one says 'preheat to 180°', knowing whether the recipe uses Fahrenheit or Centigrade is essential for a successful meal.

centigrade ↗Celsius ↗Fahrenheit ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • degrees Centigrade
  • the Centigrade scale
  • in degrees Centigrade

Prepositions

  • in centigrade
  • to centigrade
  • between centigrade and Fahrenheit

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Centigrade was formed in French in the 1700s by combining Latin centi- (meaning 'hundred') with French grade (meaning 'degree' or 'step'). The name refers to the fact that there are one hundred equal steps — or degrees — between the freezing point and the boiling point of water. The scale is also called Celsius after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius, who proposed a similar system in 1742. Although 'Celsius' became the official scientific name in 1948, 'centigrade' remains widely used in everyday English.