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In this sentence:

Iron melts at around 770 degrees Celsius, 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit.

What is the grammatical function of the words 'Celsius' and 'Fahrenheit' ?

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Færd
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    It's effectively an adjective on "degrees". The order can be reversed if you wish, but the above order is "traditional". – Hot Licks Nov 20 '15 at 12:43
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    @HotLicks I like your analysis. But I'm not sure about "degrees Celsius" being traditional: here – Færd Nov 20 '15 at 13:01
  • @MJF - Well, some would say that it's P-ist. I'm vaguely recalling that when I first learned the terms it was "centigrade degrees" (no such thing as Celsius back then, of course), but the order was swapped in high school. – Hot Licks Nov 20 '15 at 13:05
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    @MJF—the problem with that Google search is that it's almost never written out as "degrees Celcius", but as °C—which Google Books doesn't like as a search term. But I can assure you that every weather report I've ever heard (and I've heard many years' worth!) has quoted the temperature in "degrees Celcius". – ralph.m Nov 20 '15 at 13:12
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    @MJF But the terms degrees Celsius and Celsius degrees are used in different circumstances. It is 23 degrees Celsius outside. The temperature has fallen by five Celsius degrees since noon. – WS2 Nov 20 '15 at 13:20
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    @ralph.m Thanks. Maybe that's why it's "degrees Celsius" : it's written as °C (° + C). – Færd Nov 20 '15 at 13:22
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    @WS2 You mean it's "degrees Celsius" only when reporting the temperature? – Færd Nov 20 '15 at 13:23
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    @WS2: I don't recognise that distinction. So far as I'm concerned it's always postpositive (rise/fall/whatever) by two degrees Centigrade** (about 160 hits in Google Books, whereas there are none at all for by two Centigrade degrees**). It's like no-one ever talks about sterling pounds - our currency is always pounds sterling, regardless of the syntactic context. – FumbleFingers Nov 20 '15 at 13:44
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    @FumbleFingers When reporting the temperature I would agree it is always degrees Celsius. But I think more latitude exists for such as Phew, what a scorcher! Apparently London is only two Celsius degrees lower than Singapore. Though I agree two degrees Celsius would work just as well. – WS2 Nov 20 '15 at 21:23
  • @WS2: My example isn't reporting actual temperature any more than your London/Singapore one. They're both referring to a number of degrees difference* in temperature, where the type* of degrees is explicitly stated to be Celcius/Centigrade rather than Fahrenheit (which I've eventually managed to eradicate from my own thinking, but not everyone has got there yet). Your usage is quite comprehensible, obviously, but it's exceptionally uncommon - and I think would normally only occur in a very contrived "contrastive" context for most people. – FumbleFingers Nov 20 '15 at 21:42
  • ... as in, your example might be more credible in response to someone having just said London is only four degrees cooler than Singapore. Where you might say I suppose you're thinking Farenheit. Actually, London is only two Celsius* degrees cooler*. – FumbleFingers Nov 20 '15 at 21:45
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    @FumbleFingers - in science and engineering, degrees Centigrade is a temperature and Centigrade degrees is a temperature difference. It's not at all uncommon, just outside many people's sphere of experience. – Pete Becker Nov 21 '15 at 16:47

3 Answers3

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They are called a "postpositive adjective".

"Celsius" is so defined in Oxford Online Dictionary:

[POSTPOSITIVE WHEN USED WITH A NUMERAL] Of or denoting a scale of temperature on which water freezes at 0° and boils at 100° under standard conditions: 'a temperature of less than 25° Celsius'

"Fahrenheit":

[POSTPOSITIVE WHEN USED WITH A NUMERAL] Of or denoting a scale of temperature on which water freezes at 32° and boils at 212° under standard conditions: 'the temperature was steady at 65° Fahrenheit'

They are put after "degrees" even though they are adjectives, which are usually placed before a noun.

Edit:

The below Ngram Viewer shows a big difference in their usages.

Second Edit:

As suggested by @Edwin Ashworth, it could also be called a post-nominal noun modifier. The linked Wikipedia article about postpositive adjective has the below explanation:

In some phrases, a noun adjunct appears postpositively (rather than in the usual prepositive position). Examples include Knights Hospitaller, Knights Templar, man Friday (or girl Friday, etc.), airman first class (also private first class, sergeant first class), as well as many names of foods and dishes, such as Bananas Foster, beef Wellington, broccoli raab, Cherries Jubilee, Chicken Tetrazzini, Crêpe Suzette, Eggs Benedict, Oysters Rockefeller, peach Melba, steak tartare, and duck a l'orange.

Note: Oxford Online Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Collins Online Dictionary, American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition and Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, Dictionary.com all (six dictionaries) classify the word as an adjective while Wiktionary does as a noun.

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  • I know it sounds "bad" - but I guess you technically could say "65 Celsius degrees", since 'degree' is a unit of measurement no matter which system you are, and Celsius would just be qualifying which degrees you mean. – galois Nov 20 '15 at 22:28
  • @jaska Yes, you could. And Ngram Viewe shows usages, but very low compared with postpositive usage. –  Nov 21 '15 at 04:29
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    @jaska - and why scientists would say 138 kelvin, to avoid the problem – mgb Nov 21 '15 at 05:12
  • And to find a more historical perspective on "Celsius", search "Centigrade" instead. When Celsius became the official term I'm not sure, but I only heard Centigrade (and Fahrenheit) in common use until sometime in the 1970s. – user_1818839 Nov 21 '15 at 13:38
  • -1 "Adjective" is the simple answer. That being postpositive is incidental. – Kris Nov 21 '15 at 13:46
  • 'Celsius' is a postnominal noun modifier, not an adjective. Compare Oysters Rockefeller, and the Brothers Grimm vs the Marx Brothers. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '16 at 22:57
  • @EdwinAshworth Thanks for your comment. Please show me a link or reference that can support it, I will edit the answer accordingly. –  Jan 05 '16 at 05:24
  • The Wikipedia article on Postpositive adjectives happily goes on to discuss Other postpositive noun modifiers: 'Nouns may have other modifiers besides adjectives....In some phrases, a noun adjunct appears postpositively (rather than in the usual prepositive position). Examples include Knights Hospitaller, Knights Templar, ... beef Wellington ... Eggs Benedict.... [p]hrases like the Brothers Grimm, Operation Desert Storm, Project Daedalus....' Though many dictionaries claim that 'Celsius' has undergone full conversion ... – Edwin Ashworth Jan 05 '16 at 09:16
  • to adjective, tests for true adjectiveness would seem to indicate that it is as much an adjective in '10 degrees Celsius' (or, equally acceptably, '10 Celsius') as are 'Grimm' in 'Brothers Grimm' and 'Benedict' in 'Eggs Benedict' (and 'Marx' in 'Marx Brothers'). – Edwin Ashworth Jan 05 '16 at 09:20
  • @EdwinAshworth I edited the answer even though I don't agree with you calling Celsius a noun. Oxford Online Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Collins Online Dictionary, American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition and Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, Dictionary.com all (six dictionaries) classify the word as an adjective while Wiktionary does as a noun. –  Jan 05 '16 at 10:54
  • Dictionaries tend to be generally way behind decent grammars when it comes to revisions of word-classes. Both AHDEL and RHK Webster's still classify 'seven' in say 'seven eggs' as an adjective. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 05 '16 at 15:28
  • @EdwinAshworth Just because Celsius was derived from a real person's name doesn't necessarily make it fit in the examples in the Wikipedia. Are general in secretary/consul general and total in the sum total a noun? –  Jan 05 '16 at 15:34
  • The tests include looking for typical adjective behaviour (degrees fairly Celsius but reactors fairly nuclear is a counterexample // ??non-Celsius degrees but non-nuclear weapons); but also, the lack of clear adjectival form (contrast -ar being a usually adjectival suffix, with nuclear) argues that 'Celsius' is as much a postpositive noun as 'Wellington' in beef Wellington and 'Grimm' in the 'brothers Grimm'. The only argument the dictionary compilers could mount to justify adjective status is 'it modifies a noun'. Inadequate. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 05 '16 at 15:50
  • To see how inconsistent dictionaries are, look at ODO's classification of the usage 'troy ounce' and 'pounds troy'. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 05 '16 at 17:45
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I disagree with previous responses. "Degrees celsius" is the unit, so we have a compound noun. Three rabbits, four horse radishes, five degrees celsius.

jds
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Yes, Celsius and Fahrenheit are adjectives in this example, with the function of making the unit of measurement more specific. Other similar usages with unambiguous adjectives -- "6 meters high", "5 meters deep", 3 items short", "5 inches wide", "10 years old".

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  • Which of meters high maps tho Celsius ? – mmmmmm Nov 20 '15 at 20:42
  • degrees Celsius -> meters high. in this, degrees maps to meters and Celsius to high. – Matt Gutting Nov 20 '15 at 21:48
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    I don't think "Celsius" takes the same function as "high" in your example. You can ask "How high is it?", but you cannot ask "How Celsius is it?". – Emil Nov 20 '15 at 23:14
  • It's more like the difference between avoirdupois and Troy when talking about ounces (weight). Degrees is the number of things, Celsius (or Fahrenheit) is the size and scale of the things you're talking about. – bye Nov 21 '15 at 02:08
  • But you can use Celsius on its own (more often the absolute version Kelvin or Rankin) Celsius surely must map to meter here being the unit of measurement – mmmmmm Nov 22 '15 at 14:11