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altimeter

 - 2 dictionary results

al⋅tim⋅e⋅ter

[al-tim-i-ter, al-tuh-mee-ter]
–noun
1. a sensitive aneroid barometer that is graduated and calibrated, used chiefly in aircraft for finding distance above sea level, terrain, or some other reference point by a comparison of air pressures.
2. any device used for the same purpose that operates by some other means, as by radio waves.

Origin:
1820–30; alti- + -meter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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al·tim·e·ter   (āl-tĭm'ĭ-tər)   
n.  An instrument for determining elevation, especially an aneroid barometer used in aircraft that senses pressure changes accompanying changes in altitude.

[Latin altus, high; see al-2 in Indo-European roots + -meter.]
al'ti·met'ric (āl'tə-mět'rĭk) adj., al·tim'e·try n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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