atmometer

[ at-mom-i-ter ]

noun

1. an instrument for measuring the rate at which water evaporates.

atmometer

/ ætˈmɒmɪtə /

noun

1. an instrument for measuring the rate of evaporation of water into the atmosphere Also calledevaporimeterevaporometer

atmometer

/ ăt-mŏm′ĭ-tər /

1. An instrument that measures the rate of evaporation of water into the atmosphere. Atmometers usually measure the evaporation of water from a free water surface (such as a pan of water set into the ground so that the water's surface is even with the ground's surface) or from a porous, water-saturated surface (such as filter paper placed over a graduated cylinder of water). In the first type, the difference between the ground surface and the water level is used to calculate the volume of water that has evaporated in a given period of time. In the second type, the water volume is read directly from the graduated cylinder.
2. Also called evaporimeter

Derived Forms

• atˈmometry, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of atmometer¹

First recorded in 1805–15; atmo- + -meter

Example Sentences

Atmometer, at-mom′e-tėr, n. an instrument for measuring the rate of evaporation from a moist surface.

From Project Gutenberg