nephelometer

[ nef-uh-lom-i-ter ]

noun

1. Bacteriology. an apparatus containing a series of barium chloride standards used to determine the number of bacteria in a suspension.
2. Physical Chemistry. an instrument for studying the density of suspended particles in a liquid by measuring the degree to which the suspension scatters light.

nephelometer

/ ˌnɛfɪləʊˈmɛtrɪk; ˌnɛfɪˈlɒmɪtə /

noun

1. chem an instrument for measuring the size or density of particles suspended in a fluid

Derived Forms

• nephelometric, adjective
• ˌnepheˈlometry, noun

Other Words From

• neph·e·lo·met·ric [nef-, uh, -l, uh, -, me, -trik], nephe·lo·metri·cal adjective
• nephe·lo·metri·cal·ly adverb
• nephe·lome·try noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nephelometer¹

1880–85; nephel- (combining form representing Greek nephélē cloud; nebula ) + -o- + -meter

Word History and Origins

Origin of nephelometer¹

C19 (in the sense: an instrument for measuring the cloudiness of the sky): from Greek nephelē cloud + -o- + -meter

Example Sentences

That will be provided by an autofluorescing nephelometer, a device that will flash an ultraviolet laser on droplets in Venus’s atmosphere to determine the composition of molecules inside them.

From MIT Technology Review