thermometer

/θəˈmɒmətə/thur-MO-muh-tur

/θɚˈmɑmətɚ/thur-MAH-muh-tur

Meaningheat measure

Common meaning: a gauge for temperature

thermhot, warmLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 363 · scan
metera measure, a rule for measuringLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 957 · scan

‘hot, warm’ + ‘a measure, a rule for measuring’ → thermometer

Journey through time

therm — Greek θερμός “hot, warm” (path traced)
meter — Greek μέτρον “a measure, a rule for measuring” (path traced)

Aryan root · reconstructed√GHAR‘glow, to shine’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 110, p. 733 · scan
Greekθερμός + μέτρον‘hot, warm + a measure, a rule for measuring’
Englishthermometer‘a gauge for temperature’ · today

therm also in: thermal thermos thermostat hypothermia

meter also in: barometer anemometer millimetre supersymmetry hyperparameter

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Greek θερμός ‘hot, warm’ + Greek μέτρον ‘a measure, a rule for measuring’.

Did you know (Greek metron, "a…): our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), entry μέτρον, p. 957 · dictionary scan

Did you know (Greek thermos, "hot",…): our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry θερμός, p. 363 · dictionary scan

Roots

θερμός Greek “hot, warm”
μέτρον Greek “a measure, a rule for measuring”

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