scaler

[ skey-ler ]

noun

1. a person or thing that scales.
2. Also called counter,. Electronics. an electronic circuit devised to give a single pulse as output after a certain number of input pulses.

scaler

/ ˈskeɪlə /

noun

1. a person or thing that scales
2. Also calledcounterscaling circuit an electronic device or circuit that aggregates electric pulses and gives a single output pulse for a predetermined number of input pulses

Word History and Origins

Origin of scaler¹

First recorded in 1605–15; scale ¹, scale ³ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

A dental scaler, that hook-ended metal tool a dentist uses to chip away plaque, makes the exact same sound against a stegosaurus femur that it does on a human tooth.

From Los Angeles Times

As I lay in the dentist’s chair while the hygienist scraped each tooth with a steel scaler, I wept, silently and irrepressibly, under a pair of oversized goggles.

From New York Times

Barred access to my nerves by anesthetics, the scrape of the scaler found acoustic paths up the sides of my head.

From Washington Post

Patients must keep their mouths wide open as dentists and hygienists poke around inside with mirrors, scalers, probes and, until recently, those cringe-inducing drills.

From New York Times

A heightened potential risk of coronavirus transmission is in the use of instruments such as dental drills or ultrasonic scalers, which create a fine mist.

From The Guardian