hypsometer

[ hip-som-i-ter ]

noun

1. thermobarometer ( def 1 ).

hypsometer

/ hɪpˈsɒmɪtə /

noun

1. an instrument for measuring altitudes by determining the boiling point of water at a given altitude
2. any instrument used to calculate the heights of trees by triangulation

hypsometer

/ hĭp-sŏm′ĭ-tər /

1. An instrument used to determine land elevation by observing the atmospheric pressure as measured by the change in the boiling point of a liquid, usually water. Liquids boil at progressively lower temperatures as the atmospheric pressure decreases, and since atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude, the temperature at which the liquid boils is an indicator of the atmospheric pressure at that location and hence of the location's altitude.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypsometer¹

First recorded in 1860–65; hypso- + -meter

Example Sentences

His pioneering contributions include the invention of the hypsometer for measuring altitude, based on his observation that the boiling temperature of distilled water is proportional to atmospheric pressure.

From Nature

Tree measurements are collected using such forestry tools as a low-tech Biltmore stick, a clinometer or, most accurate of all, a laser hypsometer.

From Washington Times

An instrument sold by dealers for the measuring of heights is known as the hypsometer.

From Project Gutenberg

His chief contention was that, because he had taken home with him in deserting the object of the expedition a hypsometer, I could not have measured the high altitudes claimed.

From Project Gutenberg

There is something definite and uncompromising about the boiling-point hypsometer; no tapping will make it rise or fall; it reaches its mark unmistakably and does not budge.

From Project Gutenberg