hypsometer

[ hip-som-i-ter ]
/ hɪpˈsɒm ɪ tər /

noun

Origin of hypsometer

First recorded in 1860–65; hypso- + -meter

Example sentences from the Web for hypsometer

British Dictionary definitions for hypsometer

hypsometer
/ (hɪpˈsɒmɪtə) /

noun

an instrument for measuring altitudes by determining the boiling point of water at a given altitude
any instrument used to calculate the heights of trees by triangulation

Scientific definitions for hypsometer

hypsometer
[ hĭp-sŏmĭ-tər ]

An instrument used to determine land elevation by observing the atmospheric pressure as measured by the change in the boiling point of a liquid, usually water. Liquids boil at progressively lower temperatures as the atmospheric pressure decreases, and since atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude, the temperature at which the liquid boils is an indicator of the atmospheric pressure at that location and hence of the location's altitude.