Scoville heat unit

English

Etymology

From Scoville +‎ heat +‎ unit. From Wilbur Scoville, who invented the unit and its scale. From being a unit of measure of the perceived heat or burning from the spiciness engendered by the capsaicin content.

Noun

Scoville heat unit (plural Scoville heat units)

1. The unit in which the Scoville scale is measured.
   • 2013, Mike Lee, Vegan Mexican Food For Chowhounds!, page i:

     There is the Ghost Chili (Bhut Jolokia) which sits at a scorching 1,001,304 Scoville heat units.

Synonyms

• SHU
• Scoville
• Scoville unit