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water clock

See more synonyms for water clock on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a device, as a clepsydra, for measuring time by the flow of water.
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Origin of water clock

First recorded in 1595–1605
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for water clock

Historical Examples

  • The water-clock marked the third hour when I had finished my journey.

    The Chinese Fairy Book

    Various

  • We may indeed, murmured Giulia, darting a rapid look at the water-clock.

    Wagner, the Wehr-Wolf

    George W. M. Reynolds

  • They had but two measures of time—the clepsydra, or water-clock, and the sun-dial.

    Our Little Lady

    Emily Sarah Holt

  • It was the water-clock, the chronometer, and the weather guide of Athens.

  • Notice carefully that this is partly a water-clock and partly a weight-clock.

    Stories of Useful Inventions

    Samuel Eagle Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for water clock

water clock

water glass

noun
  1. any of various devices for measuring time that use the escape of water as the motive force
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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