absolute temperature

Temperature given by an absolute scale which is independent of the properties of thermometric substances. Absolute thermodynamic temperature, proposed by William Kelvin, is defined according to the principles of thermodynamics alone, but for experimental work is closely approximated by the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). It is usually expressed in terms of the kelvin (symbol K), a unit of temperature equal in size to the degree Celsius (or centigrade). The zero of this scale is absolute zero, and the freezing point of water is 273.15 K.