velocimeter

[vee-loh-sim-uh-ter, vel-oh-]

noun

any of various instruments for measuring velocity, as of a wave in water or of sound in air.

Origin of velocimeter

First recorded in 1842; veloci(ty) + -meter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

velocimeter in Science

[vē′lō-sĭm′ĭ-tər, vĕl′ō-]

A device that utilizes the Doppler effect to measure the speed of sound in water. Developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, a velocimeter transmits a pulse of sound through water and measures its echo for changes in either pitch or frequency. Oceanographers employ velocimeters to study the interior structure of breaking waves; they are also used in hydraulic engineering and to study fluid flow.