drunkometer

American

[druhng-kom-i-ter] / drʌŋˈkɒm ɪ tər /

noun

a device for measuring the amount of alcohol in a person's breath to determine the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream.

Etymology

Origin of drunkometer

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; drunk + -o- + -meter

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.

Many well-calibrated units are, and the technology has improved dramatically since the original "drunkometer" made its highway debut in 1938.

From Washington Post

Other accessions included two 19th-century drug mills, an electric belt used in quackery, two medicine chests, three sets of Hessian crucibles used in a pioneer drugstore in Colorado, a drunkometer, mineral ores, and purely produced chemical elements.

From Project Gutenberg

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