Eudiometers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An instrument used for measuring the changes in volume or composition of gases during chemical reactions
2. A device that determines the density or properties of gases by evaluating their response to physical conditions
3. A tool employed in laboratories to analyze gas mixtures, especially for educational or research purposes

Etymology: "Eudiometers" is the plural of "eudiometer," a device for measuring the properties of gases, most often by how they react when mixed or combined. The name is built from two Greek parts. The first, "eúdios," meant "clear" or "fair," especially of weather, so a clear, calm sky was an "eúdios" day. The second, "-metron," means "measure," which gives English the familiar "-meter" ending found in thermometer and barometer. The sense behind the name is a little counterintuitive. A eudiometer was named for clear air, yet its job was to measure the purity or quality of air and other gases, so the "clear" in its name refers to the goal of the measurement rather than to the gas itself. The word is a deliberate scientific coinage from classical roots, formed in the same manner as the instrument names that flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries.