Ammeter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An instrument used to measure the electric current flowing through a circuit
2. A tool that detects and indicates the amount of electrical current passing in a wire
3. A meter designed to quantify and display the intensity of current in an electrical system

Etymology: The unit is named after André-Marie Ampère, the French physicist whose work on electromagnetism laid the foundations for measuring electric current. The name "ampere" passed into English from French, and the instrument took its name by adding a Greek-derived ending to it. The ending is "-meter," which comes from the Greek "métron," meaning "measure." English borrowed it through French, and it appears in many instrument names such as thermometer and barometer. An ammeter, then, is literally an "ampere-measure": a device that measures the flow of electric current in amperes.

Synonyms: current meter, electric meter