Nilometer

/ naɪˈlɒmɪtə /

noun

1. archaic.
   a graduated pillar by which the rise and fall of the Nile can be measured

Example Sentences

The new road comes close to the ancient city’s commercial districts, its harbour walls and the former site of an ancient Nilometer, used to measure the height of the annual flood, said David Jeffreys, a British Egyptologist who has been working on Memphis for the Egypt Exploration Society since 1981.

From Reuters

At its southern tip, though, there survives a Nilometer built in the ninth century — a structure that measured the river’s seasonal flooding and thus predicted the annual harvest.

From New York Times

Using records from Cairo’s Nilometer — an octagonal marble column that was used for recording Nile flood height from 622 to 1902 A.D., the team found that flooding tended to be weaker, or entirely absent, during years when there was a large volcanic eruption somewhere in the world.

From New York Times

I made a beeline for the Nilometer, a 9th-century tool that gives insight into the crucial role the Nile played in the health and productivity of the city.

From New York Times

The Nilometer building houses a big pit that plunges deep below sea level, connected to the river through a system of tunnels.

From New York Times