horsepower means power derived from the motion of a horse.
horsepower is pronounced /ˈhɔɹsˌpaʊɚ/.
Why “horsepower” is a great word
A unit of power, originally defined by the work a draft horse could sustain, now standardized in mechanical and metric forms. From horse + power, coined c. 1805 by James Watt to market his steam engine by comparing its output to that of draft horses. Unlike "torque" (which is merely a rotational force) or "watt" (a sterile, abstract measure), "horsepower" is a unit of persuasion, a brilliant metonymy of flesh and iron. It is the heave of a Belgian’s shoulder against a plow, the ghost of a Percheron in the roar of a V8 engine, and the enduring conversion of animal breath into industrial might—a poignant measure of our relentless, efficient displacement of the living world.
Etymology
From horse + power: the unit was originally defined as the amount of power that a horse could provide.
Both non-metric and metric units of power were derived from effectively identical measurements of the power a draught horse could sustain over several hours, with the difference in watts solely due to different rounding errors to express that power in round numbers in the original non-SI units (ft·lbf/min and kgf⋅m/s respectively).
noun
- Power derived from the motion of a horse.
- A nonmetric unit of power with various definitions, commonly the mechanical horsepower, approximately equal to 745.7 watts.
- Metric horsepower, a metric unit approximately equal to 735.5 watts.
- Strength, performance capability, specs, or similar.e.g.“political horsepower”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- strength 79% match — The quality or degree of being strong. vs horsepower →
- momentum 78% match — Of a body in motion: the tendency of a body to maintain its inertial motion; the product of its mass and velocity, or the vector sum of the products of its masses and velocities. vs horsepower →
- dynamism 78% match — Great energy, drive, force, or power; vigour of body, mind, or personality; oomph or pizzazz. vs horsepower →
- entropy 77% match — A measure of the disorder present in a system.; A measure of the disorder directly proportional to the natural logarithm of the number of microstates yielding an equivalent thermodynamic macrostate. vs horsepower →
- originality 77% match — The quality of being original or novel. vs horsepower →
- potent 77% match — Powerful; possessing power; effective. vs horsepower →
- puissance 77% match — power, might or potency vs horsepower →
- warhorse 77% match — Any horse used in horse-cavalry, but especially one bearing an armoured knight. vs horsepower →