Mercalli scale

[ mer-kah-lee, mer-; Italian mer-kahl-lee ]

/ mərˈkɑ li, mɛr-; Italian mɛrˈkɑl li /

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noun Geology.

a measure of earthquake intensity with 12 divisions ranging from I (felt by very few) to XII (total destruction).

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Origin of Mercalli scale

1920–25; named after Giuseppe Mercalli (1850–1914), Italian seismologist

Words nearby Mercalli scale

meranti, merbromin, merc, Merca, mercado, Mercalli scale, mercantile, mercantile agency, mercantile paper, mercantile system, mercantilism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Mercalli scale in a sentence

The most recent activity had a high point of 3.6 on the Richter Scale.
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So did Alexander Hamilton, and on a grander scale than your AmEx.
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations|Kevin Bleyer|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Only two senators opposed the resolution, which the administration later claimed was the authority for a full-scale war.
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz|Jeff Greenfield|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The last time there was a raid of this scale was in 2001, when 52 men were arrested on Queen Boat, a floating disco on the Nile.
Sisi Is Persecuting, Prosecuting, and Publicly Shaming Egypt’s Gays|Bel Trew|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Some of the streets in this part of the town have seen large scale-destruction.
The Brothers Who Ambushed ISIS|Mohammed A. Salih|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On a small scale map, in an office, you may make mole-hills of mountains; on the ground there's no escaping from its features.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Free discussion—never a very free thing in Russia—has now on any general scale become quite impossible.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
But consider what it will be when the system is adopted on a more comprehensive scale.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
If only India were pulling her weight for us on the same scale, we should by now be before the gates of Vienna.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Aber Jeder will grossartig spielen heutzutage (But everybody wants to play on a grand scale now-a-days).
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for Mercalli scale

Mercalli scale

/ (mɜːˈkælɪ) /

noun

a 12-point scale for expressing the intensity of an earthquake, ranging from 1 (not felt, except by few under favourable circumstances) to 12 (total destruction)Compare Richter scale See also intensity (def. 4)

Word Origin for Mercalli scale

C20: named after Giuseppe Mercalli (1850–1914), Italian volcanologist and seismologist

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

Scientific definitions for Mercalli scale

Mercalli scale

[ mər-kä′lē, mĕr- ]

A scale of earthquake intensity based on observed effects and ranging from I (detectable only with instruments) to XII (causing almost total destruction). It is named after the Italian seismologist Giuseppe Mercalli.