thermal

adj

1. (not-comparable)Pertaining to heat or temperature.

   “Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.”

2. (not-comparable)Providing efficient insulation so as to keep the body warm.
3. (not-comparable)Caused or brought about by heat.
4. (not-comparable)Having a rough finish from treatment with a blowtorch.

noun

1. A column of rising air in the lower atmosphere created by uneven heating of a planet's surface.

   “The hawk had mounted its thermal by the time he got to the yard, flapping its wings violently against the updraft.”

2. FLIR.

verb

1. To create a rough finish on stone by treating it with a high-temperature blowtorch.
2. To fly an unpowered aircraft in a thermal (column of rising air).

name

1. A census-designated place in Riverside County, California, United States.