Calibrate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkæl.ɪ.bɹeɪt/

Definitions

1. To adjust or fine-tune an instrument or device to ensure its measurements are accurate and reliable
2. To set or mark a measuring tool precisely so that its readings correspond correctly to standard units
3. To measure and correct the accuracy of a device’s output by comparison with a known standard or reference

Etymology: The verb "calibrate" is built from "calibre" plus the suffix "-ate", which English took from Latin "-atus" through a long chain of Italic and Indo-European ancestors. That makes it a plain, technical formation: the noun "calibre" was adjusted by a verb-forming ending, so the word means to bring something into line with a standard measure. The noun is the more interesting half. "Calibre" describes the internal diameter of a gun barrel or the width of a bullet, and its meaning broadened from there to a person's quality or ability. Once you have a measure of a bore, adjusting an instrument to match that measure becomes the natural next step, which is how "calibrate" came to mean setting a scale or device so its readings are accurate.

Synonyms: adjust, measure

Antonyms: misalign, disarrange