altimeter

[al-tim-i-ter, al-tuh-mee-ter]

noun

a sensitive aneroid barometer that is graduated and calibrated, used chiefly in aircraft for finding distance above sea level, terrain, or some other reference point by a comparison of air pressures.

any device used for the same purpose that operates by some other means, as by radio waves.

Nearby words

Origin of altimeter

First recorded in 1820–30; alti- + -meter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for altimeter

Some trackers come with a built in altimeter to keep you honest on the number of stairs you take each day.
7 FitBit Hacks to Burn More Calories in 2014|Megan Humphreys|January 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A tracker with an altimeter will give you a far more accurate picture of calories-burned.
How to Find the Best Fitness Tracker for You|Brent Rose|November 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When the altimeter marked thirteen thousand she began to worry, for the service ceiling of her plane was but two thousand higher.
Dorothy Dixon and the Mystery Plane|Dorothy Wayne
My altimeter registered only two hundred and fifty metres, and the French lines were far distant.
High Adventure|James Norman Hall

Smithy glanced past him at the lighted instruments and found the altimeter.
Two Thousand Miles Below|Charles Willard Diffin
A glance at the altimeter told him that his eyes were not lying.
Dave Dawson on the Russian Front|R. Sidney Bowen
The altimeter showed slightly over forty-two miles when stage two detached itself.
Tight Squeeze|Dean Charles Ing

British Dictionary definitions for altimeter

altimeter

noun

an instrument that indicates height above sea level, esp one based on an aneroid barometer and fitted to an aircraft

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

Word Origin and History for altimeter

altimeter

1918, from Modern Latin altimeter, from alti- "high" (from Latin altus; see old) + -meter.

Science definitions for altimeter

altimeter

[ăl-tĭm′ĭ-tər]

An instrument that measures and indicates the height above sea level at which an object, such as an airplane, is located.