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barometer

[buh-rom-i-ter]
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noun
  1. Meteorology. any instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.Compare aneroid barometer, mercury barometer.
  2. anything that indicates changes.
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Origin of barometer

First recorded in 1655–65; baro- + -meter
Related formsbar·o·met·ric [bar-uh-me-trik] /ˌbær əˈmɛ trɪk/, bar·o·met·ri·cal, adjectivebar·o·met·ri·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for barometric

Historical Examples

  • The barometric line—gives a value of 3/100H for each inch of change.

    Seasoning of Wood

    Joseph B. Wagner

  • If there was a decline her barometric temperament registered the fact.

    Jennie Gerhardt

    Theodore Dreiser

  • He made me tell him the temperature and the barometric pressure every hour for about a month!

    The Right Time

    Walter Bupp

  • Is it then the attraction of magnetism which produces the barometric oscillations?

    The Philosophy of the Weather

    Thomas Belden Butler

  • Assawa Lake is shown, by barometric measurement, to be 1,532 feet above the Gulf.

British Dictionary definitions for barometric

barometer

noun
  1. an instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure, usually to determine altitude or weather changes
  2. anything that shows change or impending changethe barometer of social change
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Derived Formsbarometric (ˌbærəˈmɛtrɪk) or barometrical, adjectivebarometrically, adverbbarometry, 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

Word Origin and History for barometric

adj.

1802, from barometer + -ic. Barometrical is recorded from 1660s.

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barometer

n.

1660s, from Greek baros "weight" (from barys "heavy;" see grave (adj.)) + -meter. Probably coined (and certainly popularized) by English scientist Robert Boyle (1627-1691).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
barometric in Science

barometer

[bə-rŏm′ĭ-tər]
  1. An instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure. Barometers are used in determining height above sea level and in forecasting the weather. The two primary types of barometers are the aneroid and the mercury barometer.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
barometric in Culture

barometer

An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.

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Note

In general, when the barometer falls in response to a drop in pressure, bad weather is approaching; when the barometer rises because of an increase in pressure, good weather will follow.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.