chronometer
/krəˈnɒmɪtə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /krəˈnɑːmɪtər/ (ame, ipa) · /krə-ˈnä-mə-tər/ (ame, mw)
chronometer — noun
- chronometersingular
- chronometersplural
1. a device that keeps time with extremely high accuracy, first used on ships to he
a device that keeps time with extremely high accuracy, first used on ships to help sailors find their position at sea
Elara checked the chronometer before recording the star's position in her logbook.
collocation: check the chronometer
The ship's chronometer kept perfect time during the six-month voyage across the Pacific.
collocation: keep perfect time
Hakim set the chronometer to Greenwich time and checked the reading against the harbour clock.
A faulty chronometer once led an explorer two hundred miles off course.
Keiko wound the chronometer carefully, knowing the expedition depended on accurate readings.
- timepiece
broader term for any time-measuring device; does not imply high precision
- clock
a general time-display device found in homes and public spaces; not specifically accurate
- marine chronometer
the full technical term, specifically for the seafaring navigational instrument
用法筆記
Distinct from an ordinary clock or watch: a chronometer implies certification-level precision, historically for determining longitude at sea.