Definition

A device made up of several thermocouples that work together to measure temperature or produce electricity.

Example

The engineer installed a thermopile to monitor the temperature changes in the system.

Conversation

Have you ever heard of a thermopile?

Yeah, I think it's used to measure temperature, right?

Exactly! It's made of several thermocouples together.

That sounds really interesting; I’d love to learn more about how it works.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Thermopile is formed from "thermo-" (from Greek "thermos", meaning heat) and "pile" (from Greek "pylē", meaning gate or entrance). The word refers to a device that detects heat, functioning like a gate for thermal energy.

Memory Tip

Think of 'heat' ('thermo-') being detected or measured at a 'gate' ('pile') — that's how a thermopile works.

Visually Confused Words