Velocimeter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An instrument used to measure the speed of an object or fluid
2. A tool designed to determine the rate at which something moves or flows
3. A device that quantifies how fast a body or flow is traveling

Etymology: "Velocimeter" is a plain compound built from two pieces: "velocity," which comes from Latin "velocitas" meaning "swiftness" (from "velox," "swift"), and the suffix "-meter," from Greek "metron," a measure. Put together, the name describes exactly what the device does: it measures swiftness. The pattern is a familiar one. English has long borrowed Greek-derived "-meter" to name instruments, as in "thermometer" and "barometer," and attaching it to a Latin-derived base like "veloci-" follows the same method. The result is a technical coinage rather than an old word with a dramatic past, so its interest lies mainly in how neatly its parts reveal its purpose.