hygrometer

American

[hahy-grom-i-ter] / haɪˈgrɒm ɪ tər /

noun

any instrument for measuring the water-vapor content of the atmosphere.

hygrometer British

/ ˌhaɪɡrəˈmɛtrɪk, haɪˈɡrɒmɪtə /

noun

any of various instruments for measuring humidity

"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

hygrometer Scientific

/ hī-grŏm′ĭ-tər /

Any of several instruments that measure humidity. The most common type of hygrometer consists of two, side-by-side mercury or electronic thermometers, one of which has a dry bulb, and one of which has a bulb wrapped with a wet cotton or linen wick. As water evaporates from the wet bulb, it absorbs heat from the thermometer, driving down its temperature reading. The difference in temperature between the two thermometers is then used to calculate the relative humidity. This type of hygrometer is also called a psychrometer. Other hygrometers make use of the temperatures at which dew forms and disappears to calculate the relative humidity. Older hygrometers used the length of a strand of hair, which stretches when it absorbs moisture, to measure relative humidity.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of hygrometer

First recorded in 1660–70; hygro- + -meter

Vocabulary lists containing hygrometer

Physical Geography - Middle School

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Physical Geography - High School

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Weather and Climate - Middle School

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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.

Another pro-tip: Keep the air at 40 to 60 percent humidity, which helps stop aerosol transmission, Dr. Pirzada said, by using a hygrometer or a humidifier to measure the level.

From New York Times • Apr. 17, 2022

Some humidifiers include a built-in hygrometer, an instrument that measures humidity in the air, so you can easily check room humidity.

From Washington Post • Sep. 6, 2021

A quick way to check your humidity level is by using a hygrometer.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 9, 2021

By Cline’s day, a basic hygrometer measured the degree of moisture in the air by using two glass bulbs, each at one end of a glass tube.

From Time • Aug. 4, 2015

Some of these disadvantages are obviated in Regnault’s hygrometer.

From A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments Explanatory of Their Scientific Principles, Method of Construction, and Practical Utility by Negretti, Henry

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