voltmeter

[vohlt-mee-ter]

noun Electricity.

a calibrated instrument for measuring the potential difference between two points.

Origin of voltmeter

First recorded in 1880–85; volt¹ + -meter

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

Examples from the Web for voltmeter

Historical Examples of voltmeter

The voltmeter cost $7, and the ammeter $10; and the switches and fuses could be had for $5.
Electricity for the farm
Frederick Irving Anderson
In fact, a voltmeter is an ammeter which has had its shunt removed or disconnected.
Physics
Willis Eugene Tower
Hence a voltmeter must be placed across a circuit and not in it.
Physics
Willis Eugene Tower
What would happen if a voltmeter were put in series in a line?
Physics
Willis Eugene Tower
This reading is taken from the voltmeter supplied with the plant.
Mechanical Devices in the Home
Edith Louise Allen

British Dictionary definitions for voltmeter

voltmeter

noun

an instrument for measuring potential difference or electromotive force

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for voltmeter

1882, from volt + meter (n.3).

voltmeter in Science

voltmeter

[vōlt′mē′tər]

An instrument used for measuring the difference in voltage between two points in an electric circuit. Voltmeters typically make use of an ammeter that measures current flow across a known resistance inside the voltmeter; direct-current voltages can then be determined by Ohm's law. Digital voltmeters employ A/D converters to provide the numerical value of the voltage displayed. Compare ohmmeter.