sclerometer

[skli-rom-i-ter]

noun

1. any instrument for determining with precision the degree of hardness of a substance, especially a mineral, as by measuring the pressure necessary to pierce or scratch it.

sclerometer

/ ˌsklɪərəˈmɛtrɪk, sklɪəˈrɒmɪtə /

noun

1. an instrument that determines the hardness of a mineral or metal by means of a diamond point

Other Word Forms

• sclerometric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sclerometer¹

First recorded in 1875–80; sclero- + -meter

Example Sentences

But it wasn't the story so much as the flavour of the book that was so impressive: an SF narrative so hard you'd need a sclerometer to measure it, but written with a sinuous, fin-de-siècle intensity.

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Associated words: mineralogy, mineralogist, mineralize, mineralization, mineralogize, sclerometer, chondrule, paramorphism, geology. mouth, n.

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