When you measure temperature in degrees C, what does C stand for?

[The Mad Monk]

A question for the ages.

[Lorizael]

When you measure temperature in degrees C...

...your answer is 273.15 off.

[loinburger]

At some point it changed on me from Centigrate to Celsius, I think between elementary school and junior high, and I don't know why

[dannubis]

Third letter in the latin alphabet.

[Lorizael]

It's always been Celsius for me, even though I've been aware of the centigrade thing.

[Proteus_MST]

Never been something different than Celsius for me ... here in germany the term "centigrade" never is used as the meaning for C

[The Mad Monk]

From Wikipedia:

Since the 19th century, the scientific and thermometry communities worldwide referred to this scale as the centigrade scale. Temperatures on the centigrade scale were often reported simply as degrees or, when greater specificity was desired, as degrees centigrade. The symbol for temperature values on this scale is °C.

Because the term centigrade was also the Spanish and French language name for a unit of angular measurement (1/100 of a right angle) and had a similar connotation in other languages, the term centesimal degree was used when very precise, unambiguous language was required by international standards bodies such as the BIPM. The 9th CGPM and the CIPM (Comité international des poids et mesures) formally adopted "degree Celsius" (symbol: °C) in 1948.[14][15]

It was not until February 1985 that the forecasts issued by the BBC switched from "centigrade" to "Celsius".[16]

For scientific use, "Celsius" is the term usually used, with "centigrade" otherwise continuing to be in common but decreasing use, especially in informal contexts in English-speaking countries.

I really thought the change over happened later than 1948, though.

[The Mad Monk]

...your answer is 273.15 off.

Kelvinist.

[Lorizael]

Because the term centigrade was also the Spanish and French language name for a unit of angular measurement (1/100 of a right angle) and had a similar connotation in other languages...

Ugh. Reminds me of astronomy units, where we have minutes and seconds of time, minutes and seconds of arc, hour angles, degrees on the celestial sphere, degrees of temperature, etc...

[Thoth]

.

[Egbert]

Celsius

Cookie Monster is the more correct term.