noun
- a unit of energy equal to the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius
Usage: scientific; often abbreviated as ‘cal’
Examples
- The food label showed 250 cal per serving.
- Scientists measure energy in calories or cal.
- One cal equals approximately 4.18 joules.
- The experiment required calculating heat transfer in cal.
- Nutritionists often use cal to measure food energy.