en|er|gy

en|er|gy «EHN uhr jee», noun, plural -gies.

1. will to work; vigor: »

That boy is so full of energy that he cannot keep still.

2. the power to do work or act; force: »

All our energies were used to keep the fire from spreading. Beware of rashness, but with energy and sleepless vigilance go forward (Abraham Lincoln).

3. capacity for doing work, such as lifting or moving an object. Light, heat, and electricity are different forms of energy. Energy exists as potential or kinetic and is measured in various units, such as ergs, joules, or foot-pounds. »

A steam engine changes heat into mechanical energy. According to the established principles of conservation in physics, energy is never created or destroyed, but is only transferred or transformed (Atlantic).

4. ability to produce action or effect.

╂[< Late Latin energīa < Greek enérgeia < énergos active < en- in + érgon work]