Pitot tube

[ pee-toh, pee-toh ]

/ ˈpi toʊ, piˈtoʊ /

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noun

(often lowercase) an instrument for measuring fluid velocity, consisting of a narrow tube, one end of which is open and faces upstream, the other end being connected to a manometer.

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Origin of Pitot tube

1880–85; named after Henri Pitot (1695–1771), French physicist, who invented it

Words nearby Pitot tube

pitman, pitmaster, Pitocin, piton, Pitot-static tube, Pitot tube, Pitri, Pit River, pits, pit sample, pitsaw

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

How to use Pitot tube in a sentence

In this case, suspicion fell on an instrument called a pitot tube that measures the speed at which the airplane is flying.
Will Flight Recorder Solve Air France Flight 447 Mystery?|Clive Irving|May 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In the 20th century the pitot tube was adapted to become the key instrument in measuring the air speed of planes.
What to Know About Airline Safety Records|Clive Irving|August 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He came up with a breakthrough idea in the field of fluid dynamics, with a device that became known as the Pitot tube.
What to Know About Airline Safety Records|Clive Irving|August 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The Pitot tube also fails to give measurable indications of very low velocities.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 1|Various

The Pitot tube, like the hydrodynamometer, does not require a time observation.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Pitot tube

Pitot tube

/ (ˈpiːtəʊ) /

noun

a small tube placed in a fluid with its open end upstream and the other end connected to a manometer. It measures the total pressure of the fluid

short for Pitot-static tube, esp one fitted to an aircraft

Word Origin for Pitot tube

C18: named after its inventor, Henri Pitot (1695–1771), French physicist

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