Calibrates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Adjusts a measurement device to ensure its readings are precise and accurate
2. Sets or corrects the scale of an instrument so its output matches known standards
3. Fine-tunes equipment by comparing it with reference points to produce reliable measurements

Etymology: "Calibrates" is the third-person singular present form of "calibrate," a verb built from the noun "calibre" plus the suffix "-ate." The suffix comes from Latin "-atus," which English borrowed as a verb-forming ending, so "calibrate" means roughly "to give something a calibre." The verb is the base form of the word; "calibrates" simply adds the -s that English uses when the subject is he, she, or it. The noun behind it, "calibre," traces back through French to Arabic and Latin roots, and originally referred to the diameter of a gun barrel or the internal width of a bore. Measuring that width accurately was the whole point, which is why the verb came to mean checking and adjusting an instrument against a standard. Over time the sense broadened from firearms to any device whose readings must match a known reference.

Synonyms: measures, adjusts, sets, aligns, configures

Antonyms: miscalibrates, disarranges