altimeter

noun

al·​tim·​e·​ter al-ˈti-mə-tər  ˈal-tə-ˌmē-tər 

: an instrument for measuring altitude

especially : an aneroid barometer designed to register changes in atmospheric pressure accompanying changes in altitude

altimetry

al-ˈti-mə-trē 

noun

Examples of altimeter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The moon engraving is based on altimeter measurements from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. —Carol Besler, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2024

Despite some technical troubles, including the failure of its altimeter, the company's first lander managed a soft touchdown on the Moon on its side. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Sep. 2024

Both also pack all of the standard motion and navigation sensors, such as an accelerometer, altimeter, barometer, compass, gyroscope, and magnetometer. —PCMAG, 13 Aug. 2024

Personal artifacts confirmed the identity: an altimeter, a pocket knife, snow goggles, a letter, and a bill for climbing equipment from a London supplier. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 21 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, from Latin altus "high" + -i- -i- + New Latin -meter -meter — more at altitude

Note: The word altimeter appears in the word lists of early Latin-English dictionaries, as the 1572 edition of Richard Huloet's dictionary and the 1578 edition of Thomas Cooper's Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et Britannicae (defined as "an instrument wherwith high things are mette"). These entries all appear to derive from versions of Papias' Latin dictionary Elementarium doctrinae rudimentum, composed in the 11th century, but reedited and expanded many times; the 1485 Venice edition enters "altimeter quo metiuntur altitudines - quoddam instrumentum est" ("altimeter by which heights are measured; it is a certain instrument"). Cf. New Latin scala altimetra, with vernacular equivalents, as Middle French eschelle altimetre, applied to the graduated scale of various instruments for measuring angular distance above the horizon. As a word used in the early 20th century for instruments employing barometric pressure to measure altitude, the word may be a recoinage from Latin altus and -meter.

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

altimeter

noun

al·​tim·​e·​ter al-ˈtim-ət-ər  ˈal-tə-ˌmēt-ər 

: an instrument for measuring altitude

especially : a barometer that registers changes in atmospheric pressure accompanying changes in altitude