heat

²heat

noun

Definition of HEAT

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; especially : a marked or notable degree of this state : high temperature b (1) : a feverish state of the body : pathological excessive bodily temperature (as from inflammation) <knew the throbbing heat of an abscess> <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 c (1) : added energy that causes substances to rise in temperature, fuse, evaporate, expand, or undergo any of various other related changes, that flows to a body by contact with or radiation from bodies at higher temperatures, and that 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

2

: sexual excitement especially in a female mammal; specifically : estrus