Pyrgeometer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device that measures the amount of thermal radiation emitted from various surfaces in a given environment
2. An apparatus designed to detect and quantify infrared radiation emitted by objects in the environment beyond visible light
3. A tool used to assess the intensity of outgoing thermal energy emitted by surfaces through infrared wavelengths

Etymology: Pyrgeometer is a technical coinage built from three Greek-derived parts. "Pyr" comes from the Greek "pyr," meaning fire, and "geo" from "gē," meaning earth, while "-meter" comes from "metron," a measure. Put together, the name describes an instrument for measuring heat radiating from the ground and surfaces, a meaning that makes the "fire" element a little misleading, since the instrument reads infrared radiation rather than flame. The compound follows the same pattern as older scientific instruments such as thermometer and barometer, which is why its construction is transparent to anyone who knows those words. The "pyr-" element, though, is the telling detail: it was chosen because the instrument deals with thermal energy, the warmth that bodies give off, and classical Greek supplied the readily combinable building blocks for naming such devices.