water clock

American  

noun

1. a device, as a clepsydra, for measuring time by the flow of water.

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water clock British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of water clock

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

That tells you that it was a water clock because they’re going there to fill up buckets to put the fire out.

From Scientific American • Jan. 28, 2022

It’s a water clock, based on a constant flow of water, but it’s a mechanical device.

From Scientific American • Jan. 28, 2022

On the left side the Dutch physicist Christian Huyghens is depicted demonstrating the first pendulum clock, which he invented in 1656, and on the right side there is a Roman senator holding a water clock.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2020

But on its own small scale, the water clock is a marvel.

From New York Times • Dec. 14, 2011

The Tower of the Winds, erected by Andronicus Cyrrhestes about B. C. 100, contained a weathercock, a sun dial, and a water clock.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 421, January 26, 1884 by Various