fah'ren hite, (1686-1736), a German physicist, born at Dantzig and known for his arrangement of the thermometer. Abandoning the commercial profession which he first followed, he settled in Holland to study natural philosophy. In 1720 he effected a great improvement in thermometers, by the use of quicksilver instead of spirits of wine. He invented the Fahrenheit scale and made several valuable discoveries in physics. See THERMOMETER.