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

See Examples For:

water clock

It’s this weird hybrid between an old-school water clock and the mechanical clocks that would be developed in Europe a century or two later.

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

The sundial’s nocturnal counterpart, the water clock, was designed to measure temporal hours at night.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 31, 2011

An entire room is devoted to blown-up photographs of the Chinese zodiac animal heads that once adorned an elaborate water clock fountain designed by Benoit.

From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2010

This water clock was called a clepsydra, the name being taken from two Greek words meaning 'thief of water.'

From Christopher and the Clockmakers by Stecher, William F. (William Frederick)