clepsydra

American  

[klep-si-druh] / ˈklɛp sɪ drə /

noun

plural

clepsydras, clepsydrae

1. an ancient device for measuring time by the regulated flow of water or mercury through a small aperture.

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clepsydra British  

/ ˈklɛpsɪdrə /

noun

1. Also called: water clock.  an ancient device for measuring time by the flow of water or mercury through a small aperture

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Etymology

Origin of clepsydra

1640–50; < Latin < Greek klepsýdra, equivalent to kleps- ( klep-, stem of kléptein to steal, conceal + -s- formative in derivation) + hydra, derivative of hýdōr water

Explanation

Drip, drip, drip. This used to be the sound of a clepsydra — a special water clock used by ancient civilizations. The clepsydra was an early and innovative way to keep track of time. It combines the Greek roots klept-, meaning "steal," and hydr-, meaning "water." The clepsydra worked by measuring time through the steady flow of water from one container to another — as if one container was gradually stealing water from the other. The clepsydra was used by the Greeks, Egyptians, and other ancient civilizations to time speeches, monitor cooking, and even keep time during court sessions.

Example Sentences

Empedocles performed his experiment with a household implement people had used for centuries, the so-called clepsydra or “water thief,” which was used as a kitchen ladle.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

From the middle of the seventh century a clepsydra of Chinese origin was used to mark the hours.

From A History of the Japanese People From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era by Brinkley, F. (Frank)

The clepsydra became in Greece a useful instrument to enforce the law in restricting loquacious orators and lawyers to reasonable limits in their addresses.

From Inventions in the Century by Doolittle, William Henry

Plato is said to have invented a complicated clepsydra to indicate the 496 hours of the night as well as of the day.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various

While we were thus busy, useful, and happy, the dripping rain, like a clepsydra, told off the morning moments.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 10, No. 62, December, 1862 by Various