[muh-kwawrn] /məˈkwɔrn/ (Show IPA), 1820–70, Scottish engineer and physicist.
adjective
2.
Thermodynamics. pertaining to an absolute temperature scale (Rankine scale) in which the degree intervals are equal to those of the Fahrenheit scale and in which 0° Rankine equals −459.7° Fahrenheit.
an absolute scale of temperature in which the unit of temperature is equal to that on the Fahrenheit scale and the zero value of temperature is equal to –459.67°F Compare Kelvin scale
rankine scale in Science
Rankine scale
(rāng'kĭn) A scale of absolute temperature having the same degree increments as those of the Fahrenheit scale, in which the freezing point of water is 491.69° and the boiling point is 671.69°. A temperature in degrees Fahrenheit is converted to a temperature in degrees Rankine by the addition of 459.67°.