Nilometer

British  

/ naɪˈlɒmɪtə /

noun

1. archaic a graduated pillar by which the rise and fall of the Nile can be measured

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Example Sentences

Lanchester concludes that “words longer mean what they once did. It is not a process intended to deceive, but, like the Nilometer, it confines knowledge to a priesthood—the priesthood of people who can speak money.”

From Forbes • Aug. 7, 2014

From the Nilometer we went to see the gardens belonging to Ibrahim Pacha; then to the spot where Moses is said to have been found by Pharaoh's daughter.

From What We Saw in Egypt by Anonymous

Here is to be seen the Nilometer, a square well connected with the Nile, having in its centre an octagonal column on which is inscribed Arabian measures.

From Due West or Round the World in Ten Months by Ballou, Maturin Murray

It was my desire to see the Nilometer on the island, and I did see it, but not until after I had sent the boatman to buy a candle.

From A Trip Abroad by Janes, Don Carlos

If the Nilometer which measures the height of the flood indicates eight cubits, the crops will be scanty; but if it reaches fourteen cubits, there will be a plentiful harvest.

From History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume I (of 2) Revised Edition by Draper, John William