tachometer

American  

[ta-kom-i-ter, tuh-] / tæˈkɒm ɪ tər, tə- /

noun

1. any of various instruments for measuring or indicating velocity or speed, as of a machine, a river, or the blood.

2. an instrument measuring revolutions per minute, as of an engine.

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tachometer British  

/ ˌtækəˈmɛtrɪk, tæˈkɒmɪtə /

noun

1. any device for measuring speed, esp the rate of revolution of a shaft. Tachometers (rev counters) are often fitted to cars to indicate the number of revolutions per minute of the engine

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Other Word Forms

• tachometric adjective
• tachometrically adverb
• tachometry noun

Etymology

Origin of tachometer

First recorded in 1800–10; tacho- + -meter

Example Sentences

Enhanced: tachometer even further to the left, speedometer even further to the right, and a wide customizable center.

From The Verge • Aug. 8, 2022

Upshift with the tachometer at 2,000 to 2,500 rpm, not 3,000, Toyota advises.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2022

This genre-defying book of compressed prose, poetry and image is the product of a mind — and heart — pushing the artistic tachometer to the red line.

From Washington Post • Dec. 22, 2021

I was a meter with a normal range, like a tachometer, and I had to avoid straying too far into the red.

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2019

He had a tachometer, and an altimeter, an earth inductor compass, a drift indicator, and—” Captain Bill interrupted.

From Famous Flyers And Their Famous Flights by Grayson, J. J.