clepsydra
noun
an ancient device for measuring time by the regulated flow of water or mercury through a small aperture.
clepsydras
-
pluralof clepsydra.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Well," he said, "clepsydras always work better when nearly full than when nearly empty.
From Andivius Hedulio Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire by White, Edward Lucas
It seems probable that some of these water clocks could have been simple drip clepsydras, with perhaps a striking arrangement added.
From On the Origin of Clockwork, Perpetual Motion Devices, and the Compass by Price, Derek J. de Solla (Derek John de Solla)
During his residence at Toledo he constructed two clepsydras, the waters of which decreased and increased according to the waning and growing of the moon, and these two basins were destroyed only in A.D.
From Arabic Authors A Manual of Arabian History and Literature by Arbuthnot, F. F.
And in Rome the sun-dials, the clepsydras and the hour-glass were used for the same purpose, and more generally than in Greece, to regulate the hours of business and pleasure.
From Inventions in the Century by Doolittle, William Henry
Before there were hour-glasses and clepsydras, most phenomena could be estimated as to their durations and intervals, with no greater precision than degrees of hardness can be estimated by the fingers.
From Essays on Education and Kindred Subjects Everyman's Library by Spencer, Herbert
