Clinometer

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /klaɪ̯ˈnɑː.mə.tɚ/

Definitions

1. A specialized instrument designed for measuring angles related to slope and elevation in various contexts is essential for accurate assessments of terrain steepness and vertical inclines
2. An instrument used to determine the angle of inclination or slope relative to the horizontal
3. A tool for gauging the degree of tilt or steepness of a surface or object

Etymology: "Clinometer" is a plain technical coinage, built from two Greek elements. The first, "clino-", comes from Greek "klinein", meaning "to lean" or "to incline", the same root that gives English "recline" and "incline". The second, "-meter", comes from Greek "metron", meaning "measure", which is also the source of words like "thermometer" and "barometer". Put together, the name describes exactly what the instrument does: it measures how far something leans away from level. The "-meter" ending reached English through Latin "-metrum" and French "-mètre", so it carries the same sense of measuring through the many scientific instruments that were named with it. "Clinometer" follows that pattern, joining an element meaning "incline" to one meaning "measure". The word is a modern scientific formation rather than an ancient term, and its parts are transparent to anyone who knows that "-meter" signals an instrument for measuring.

Synonyms: slope meter, angle meter