calorie

noun

cal·​o·​rie ˈka-lə-rē How to pronounce calorie (audio)
ˈkal-rē
variants or less commonly calory
plural calories
1
a
: the amount of heat required at a pressure of one atmosphere to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius that is equal to about 4.19 joules
abbreviation cal

called also gram calorie, small calorie

b
: the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius : 1000 gram calories or 3.968 Btu
abbreviation Cal

called also large calorie

2
a
: a unit equivalent to the large calorie expressing heat-producing or energy-producing value in food when oxidized in the body
b
: an amount of food having an energy-producing value of one large calorie

Examples of calorie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Per serving: 516 calories (31 percent from fat), 17.5 g fat (2.2 g saturated, 8.1 g monounsaturated), 110 mg cholesterol, 42.5 g protein, 54.8 g carbohydrates, 6.5 g fiber, 335 mg sodium. Tribune News Service, The Denver Post, 30 Oct. 2024 While most frappuccinos contain caffeine, many are high in sugar and calories. Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, Rdn, Health, 29 Oct. 2024 Byrne adds that getting enough food is important, too, as eating too few calories can throw your body out of whack. Jessie Van Amburg, SELF, 29 Oct. 2024 There is 24g of protein and 200 calories in each cup of Activator Recovery GLP-1 Almond Berry, which has almond milk, strawberries, wild blueberries, coconut water and strawberry protein powder. Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for calorie 

Word History

Etymology

French calorie, from Latin calor heat, from calēre to be warm — more at lee

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of calorie was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near calorie

Cite this Entry

“Calorie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calorie. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

calorie

noun
cal·​o·​rie
variants also calory
plural calories
1
: a unit of heat:
a
: the heat energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius and equal to about 4.19 joules

called also small calorie

b
: the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius and equal to 1000 small calories
used especially to indicate the value of foods in the production of heat and energy

called also large calorie, kilocalorie

2
: an amount of food having an energy-producing value of one large calorie
Etymology

from French calorie "a unit of heat," from Latin calor "heat," from calēre "to be hot" — related to cauldron, nonchalant

Medical Definition

calorie

noun
cal·​o·​rie
variants also calory
plural calories
1
a
: the amount of heat required at a pressure of one atmosphere to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius that is equal to about 4.19 joules
abbreviation cal

called also gram calorie, small calorie

b
: the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius that is equal to 1000 gram calories or 3.968 Btu
abbreviation Cal

called also kilocalorie, kilogram calorie, large calorie

2
a
: a unit equivalent to the large calorie expressing heat-producing or energy-producing value in food when oxidized in the body
b
: an amount of food having an energy-producing value of one large calorie

More from Merriam-Webster on calorie

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!