seismometer
Americannoun
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A detecting device that receives seismic impulses. It is the detecting component of a seismograph.
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See more at seismograph
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of seismometer
Explanation
A seismometer is a scientific instrument used to detect earthquakes. When the ground shakes, a seismometer can measure exactly how much it's moving up and down. Seismometer comes from the Greek roots seismos, "a shaking," and metron, "a measure." During the 2nd century, a Chinese astronomer invented a basic version of the seismometer that scientists still use today. A simple seismometer is made from a frame that is very sensitive to motion and a weight suspended from it by a spring. The measurement of earthquake activity comes from comparing the relative motion of the weight compared with the frame.
Vocabulary lists containing seismometer
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The method relies on a single broadband seismometer to detect extremely subtle ground movements linked to magma intrusions deep underground.
From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 2026
The lander carried a seismometer, which recorded four years' of vibrations - Mars quakes - from deep inside the Red Planet.
From BBC • Aug. 12, 2024
Most of the new shallow quakes were seen by the Apollo 15 seismometer, the farthest north of the Apollo stations.
From Science Magazine • Mar. 20, 2024
Swift’s Seattle fans reportedly danced, jumped and shook so much in July that a nearby seismometer equated their activity to a magnitude 2.3 earthquake, the Seattle Times reported.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2024
The seismometer on Mount Rainier had registered the earthquake, but that didn’t mean the center of the quake was anywhere near.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
