Barometers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure, often to predict weather changes
2. A device that gauges changes in pressure to help assess altitude or weather conditions
3. A symbol or method for evaluating influence or performance in various contexts, indicating trends or states

Etymology: "Barometers" is simply the plural of "barometer," the instrument that measures atmospheric pressure. The word itself is a modern scientific coinage built from two Greek elements: "baros," meaning "weight," and "metron," meaning "measure," with the second forming the familiar "-meter" ending seen in thermometer and speedometer. The instrument predates the name by about twenty years. The Italian physicist Evangelista Torricelli invented it around 1644, and the English chemist and natural philosopher Robert Boyle gave it the name "barometer" in 1665. Boyle's coinage was soon borrowed into various other languages, so the term spread across Europe in much the same form.

Synonyms: gauge, indicator, measuring instrument