chronometer

[kruh-nom-i-ter]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chronometer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a timepiece or timing device with a special mechanism for ensuring and adjusting its accuracy, for use in determining longitude at sea or for any purpose where very exact measurement of time is required.

any timepiece, especially a wristwatch, designed for the highest accuracy.

Origin of chronometer

First recorded in 1705–15; chrono- + -meter

Related formschron·o·met·ric

[kron-uh-me-trik] /ˌkrɒn əˈmɛ trɪk/, chron·o·met·ri·cal, adjectivechron·o·met·ri·cal·ly, adverb

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

Related Words for chronometer

timepiece, clock, hourglass, metronome, timer

Examples from the Web for chronometer

Historical Examples of chronometer

We were now questioned about our longitude, and whether we had a chronometer.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
The captain kept his eyes fixed on the chronometer in his hand.
In a Steamer Chair and Other Stories
Robert Barr
The chronometer on the mantel was obscured by a thick layer of dust.
Cap'n Eri
Joseph Crosby Lincoln
Faces isn't the chronometer to steer your boat to the good ones.
Capt'n Davy's Honeymoon
Hall Caine
Bishop noticed the thistle bouquet in a vase over the chronometer.
Competition
James Causey

British Dictionary definitions for chronometer

chronometer

noun

a timepiece designed to be accurate in all conditions of temperature, pressure, etc, used esp at sea

Derived Formschronometric (ˌkrɒnəˈmɛtrɪk) or chronometrical, adjectivechronometrically, adverb

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 chronometer

1735, from chrono- "time" + -meter. Related: Chronometric.

chronometer in Science

chronometer

[krə-nŏm′ĭ-tər]

An extremely accurate clock or other timepiece. Chronometers are used in scientific experiments, navigation, and astronomical observations. It was the invention of a chronometer capable of being used aboard ship, in 1762, that allowed navigators for the first time to accurately determine their longitude at sea.