horsepower
[ hawrs-pou-er ]
/ ˈhɔrsˌpaʊ ər /
noun
a foot-pound-second unit of power, equivalent to 550 foot-pounds per second, or 745.7 watts.
Informal.
the capacity to achieve or produce; strength or talent: The university's history faculty is noted for its intellectual horsepower.
Words nearby horsepower
horsemanship,
horsemint,
horsens,
horseplay,
horseplayer,
horsepower,
horsepower-hour,
horsepox,
horseradish,
horseradish peroxidase,
horseradish tree
Example sentences from the Web for horsepower
British Dictionary definitions for horsepower
horsepower
/ (ˈhɔːsˌpaʊə) /
noun
an fps unit of power, equal to 550 foot-pounds per second (equivalent to 745.7 watts)
a US standard unit of power, equal to 746 watts
Abbreviation:
HP,
h.p
Scientific definitions for horsepower
horsepower
[ hôrs′pou′ər ]
A unit that is used to measure the power of engines and motors. One unit of horsepower is equal to the power needed to lift 550 pounds one foot in one second. This unit has been widely replaced by the watt in scientific usage; one horsepower is equal to 745.7 watts.
Cultural definitions for horsepower
notes for horsepower
The horsepower is used to measure the power of engines.
notes for horsepower
This term was coined by James
Watt, who invented a new type of steam engine in the eighteenth century. Watt found that the horse could do a certain amount of work per second; when he sold his steam engines, this measurement allowed him to estimate the worth of an engine in terms of the number of horses it would replace. Therefore, a six-horsepower engine was capable of replacing six horses.