calories

cal-o-ries · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    Units of energy, typically used to measure the energy content of food and drink.

  2. 2.

    Units of heat energy (in physics, the amount of heat needed to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius).

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    count calories — to monitor caloric intake for weight management
  • •
    empty calories — calories from food with little nutritional value
  • •
    burn calories — to use energy through physical activity

Related words

See also: calorie, diet, energy, nutrition
Synonyms: energy units

Etymology

Plural of calorie, from French calorie, coined by Nicolas Clement in 1824, from Latin calor ("heat").