hydrometer

[ hahy-drom-i-ter ]

noun
  1. an instrument for determining the specific gravity of a liquid, commonly consisting of a graduated tube weighted to float upright in the liquid whose specific gravity is being measured.

Origin of hydrometer

1
First recorded in 1665–75; hydro-1 + -meter

Other words from hydrometer

  • hy·dro·met·ric [hahy-druh-me-trik], /ˌhaɪ drəˈmɛ trɪk/, hy·dro·met·ri·cal, adjective
  • hy·drom·e·try, noun

Words Nearby hydrometer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hydrometer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hydrometer

hydrometer

/ (haɪˈdrɒmɪtə) /


noun
  1. an instrument for measuring the relative density of a liquid, usually consisting of a sealed graduated tube with a weighted bulb on one end, the relative density being indicated by the length of the unsubmerged stem

Derived forms of hydrometer

  • hydrometric (ˌhaɪdrəʊˈmɛtrɪk) or hydrometrical, adjective
  • hydrometrically, adverb
  • hydrometry, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for hydrometer

hydrometer

[ hī-drŏmĭ-tər ]


  1. An instrument used to measure the density of a liquid as compared to that of water. Hydrometers consist of a calibrated glass tube ending in a weighted glass sphere that makes the tube stand upright when placed in a liquid. The lower the density of the liquid, the deeper the tube sinks.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.