Temperature

Temperature, measure of hotness or coldness expressed in terms of any of several arbitrary scales and indicating the direction in which heat energy will spontaneously flow—i.e., from a hotter body (one at a higher temperature) to a colder body (one at a lower temperature).
Temperature (sometimes called thermodynamic temperature) is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a system. Adding heat to a system causes its temperature to rise. While there is no maximum theoretically reachable temperature, there is a minimum temperature, known as absolute zero, at which all molecular motion stops. Temperatures are commonly measured in the Kelvin or Celsius scales, with Fahrenheit still in common use in the Unites States.

Temperature is not the equivalent of the energy of a thermodynamic system; e.g., a burning match is at a much higher temperature than an iceberg, but the total heat energy contained in an iceberg is much greater than the energy contained in a match. Temperature, similar to pressure or density, is called an intensive property—one that is independent of the quantity of matter being considered—as distinguished from extensive properties, such as mass or volume.

Sources:

Adam Augustyn.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica/1768

Schooley, J. F. (Ed.). Temperature: Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry, Vol. 6, Parts 1 and 2. 1993.

Adam Augustyn.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica/1768