Hertz

//hɝts// name, noun

name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    In the International System of Units, the derived unit of frequency; one (period or cycle of any periodic event) per second.

    "Each turbogenerator consisted of a steam turbine, powered by 900 psi of superheated steam, that was coupled by a set of reduction gears to a General Electric marine alternating-current generator operating at 1,800 rpm. Each generator had a capacity of 2,000 kilowatts of three-phase power at 450 volts and 60 hertz. The main 450-volt switchboard was energized by the two turbogenerators. The emergency switchboard, in the emergency generator room, was fed from the main switchboard through an electrical tie."

  2. 2
    Alternative letter-case form of hertz (“Hz”). alt-of, uncountable
  3. 3
    the unit of frequency; one hertz has a periodic interval of one second (named for Heinrich Rudolph Hertz) wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from German.

Example

More examples

"Hertz and Avis are head to head competitors in the car rental business."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Named after German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857–1894).

Etymology 2

From German Hertz.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.