spectrometer

American  

[spek-trom-i-ter] / spɛkˈtrɒm ɪ tər /

noun

Optics.

1. an optical device for measuring wavelengths, deviation of refracted rays, and angles between faces of a prism, especially an instrument prism spectrometer consisting of a slit through which light passes, a collimator, a prism that deviates the light, and a telescope through which the deviated light is viewed and examined.

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spectrometer British  

/ ˌspɛktrəʊˈmɛtrɪk, spɛkˈtrɒmɪtə /

noun

1. any instrument for producing a spectrum, esp one in which wavelength, energy, intensity, etc, can be measured See also mass spectrometer

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spectrometer Scientific  

/ spĕk-trŏm′ĭ-tər /

1. A spectroscope equipped with devices for measuring the frequencies of the radiation observed by it.

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Other Word Forms

• spectrometric adjective
• spectrometry noun

Etymology

Origin of spectrometer

First recorded in 1870–75; spectro- + -meter

Compare meaning

How does spectrometer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• spectrometer vs. spectrophotometer

Example Sentences

The team used a nitrate chemical ionization mass spectrometer, a sensitive instrument that can identify specific compounds in the air.

From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2026

On Jan. 11, an airborne imaging spectrometer managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory flew over Los Angeles County to survey the damage from the historic fires.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2025

It took 23 measurements with an instrument called an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer.

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2024

Just 1 day of data from Rosetta’s mass spectrometer, an instrument that can identify molecules by their specific weights, was enough for Hänni and her colleagues to find DMS.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 26, 2024

I asked Todd Dawson, a biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, to run a McDonald’s meal through his spectrometer.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan