dropsonde

American

[drop-sond] / ˈdrɒpˌsɒnd /

noun

Meteorology.

an instrument similar to a radiosonde that is attached to a parachute and released from an aircraft.

dropsonde British

/ ˈdrɒpsɒnd /

noun

meteorol a radiosonde dropped by parachute

"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

Etymology

Origin of dropsonde

First recorded in 1945–50; drop + (radio)sonde

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.

There was no way to see the dropsonde launch.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2023

Rocky Weinmann, a technician, held a dropsonde and plugged a cord into the device to activate it.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2023

The pressurized air from the cabin pushed the dropsonde out into the thin atmosphere, and the device fell toward the clouds.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2023

Another dropsonde was activated and inserted into the launch tube.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2023

I felt like a human dropsonde — a device tossed out of airplanes to log weather conditions on the way down.

From Washington Post • Aug. 8, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023