Thermostat

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Thermostat \Ther"mo*stat\, n. [Thermo- + Gr. ? to make to
     stand.] (Physics)
     A device which automatically regulates temperature, or
     provides a signal used by another device to regulate
     temperature. The temperature-sensitive signal may be
     electronic, as that produced by a thermocouple. The signal


     may also be caused mechanically, as by the unequal expansion
     of different metals, liquids, or gases by heat, which can
     then cause the opening or closing of the damper of a stove,
     or the like, as the heat becomes greater or less than is
     desired.
     [1913 Webster +PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  thermostat
       n : a regulator for automatically regulating temperature by
           starting or stopping the supply of heat [syn: {thermoregulator}]
       v : control the temperature with a thermostat