Viscosimeter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device utilized for determining the flow resistance of liquids by assessing their viscosity characteristics
2. An apparatus designed to evaluate the thickness of fluids through viscosity measurement
3. A tool used to measure how thick or resistant to flow a liquid is

Etymology: "Viscosimeter" is a synonym of "viscometer" and is built from the same parts: "visco-", from the Latin "viscosus" meaning sticky or gummy, and "-meter", a measuring device. The second element carries a long history of its own. It traces back through Ancient Greek "métron", meaning measure, and passed into European languages, including French "-mètre", before reaching English as "-meter". The "visco-" element is the more striking half. Its Latin source, "viscum", denoted birdlime, the sticky substance made from mistletoe berries and used to catch small birds. So a device for measuring viscosity is, at root, a device for measuring how stickily a liquid holds together, the same quality that made birdlime useful to fowlers.