hypsometer

[ hip-som-i-ter ]

noun

1. thermobarometer ( def 1 ).

hypsometer

/ hɪpˈsɒmɪtə /

noun

1. an instrument for measuring altitudes by determining the boiling point of water at a given altitude
2. any instrument used to calculate the heights of trees by triangulation

hypsometer

/ hĭp-sŏm′ĭ-tər /

1. An instrument used to determine land elevation by observing the atmospheric pressure as measured by the change in the boiling point of a liquid, usually water. Liquids boil at progressively lower temperatures as the atmospheric pressure decreases, and since atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude, the temperature at which the liquid boils is an indicator of the atmospheric pressure at that location and hence of the location's altitude.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypsometer¹

First recorded in 1860–65; hypso- + -meter

Example Sentences

Mertz boiled the hypsometer when necessary to ascertain our elevation above sea-level.

From Project Gutenberg

According to the hypsometer and our aneroid barometer we were at a height of 11,075 feet -- this was in lat.

From Project Gutenberg

The hypsometer is only an instrument for determining the boiling-point, which gives one the height above the sea.

From Project Gutenberg

The hypsometer showed 11,070 feet above the sea; we had therefore reached a greater altitude than the Butcher's.

From Project Gutenberg

The readings of the hypsometer gave practically the same result day after day; the ascent we were looking for failed to appear.

From Project Gutenberg