Rankine

Ran·kine

adjective \ˈraŋ-kən\

Definition of RANKINE

: being, according to, or relating to an absolute-temperature scale on which the unit of measurement equals a Fahrenheit degree and on which the freezing point of water is 491.67° and the boiling point 671.67°

Origin of RANKINE

William J. M. Rankine †1872 Scottish engineer & physicist

First Known Use: circa 1926

Ran·kine

adjective \ˈraŋ-kən\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of RANKINE

: being, according to, or relating to an absolute-temperature scale on which the unit of measurement equals a Fahrenheit degree and on which the freezing point of water is 491.67° and the boiling point 671.67°

Biographical Note for RANKINE

Rankine, William John Macquorn (1820–1872), British physicist and engineer. Rankine was one of the founders of the science of thermodynamics. In 1843 he published a paper on metal fatigue in railway axles that attracted the attention of physicists and railway engineers and brought about new methods of construction. He published in 1858 a Manual of Applied Mechanics that became a classic text for designing engineers and architects, and a year later he introduced a manual on the steam engine that was the first attempt at a systematic treatment of steam-engine theory.