spirometer

noun

spi·​rom·​e·​ter spī-ˈrä-mə-tər 

: an instrument for measuring the air entering and leaving the lungs (as in determining lung function in the diagnosis of pulmonary disease)

spirometric

ˌspī-rə-ˈme-trik 

adjective

spirometry

spī-ˈrä-mə-trē 

noun

Examples of spirometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lastly a device known as a spirometer measures the volume of gas expelled by the lungs on each breath, to monitor breathing patterns. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 24 Mar. 2020

In the games used in the study, which were built by students at Champlain College in Vermont, a device for measuring lung capacity called a spirometer is used as a controller. —Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2011

Instead, according to the complaint, the nurse on duty told Saint to take deep breaths with a measuring device called a spirometer, and got her oxygen level up to 72% — still far too low. —Robert McCoppin, chicagotribune.com, 17 Jan. 2022

Another equation estimates lung function by gauging the maximum amount of air a person can exhale forcefully into an instrument called a spirometer. —Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Science | AAAS, 22 July 2021

Participants breathed through a spirometer with a turbine to reveal their lung function. —Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 July 2021

Cartwright, the racist doctor from the 1800s, also developed his own version of a tool called the spirometer to measure lung capacity. —Jacque Smith, CNN, 25 Apr. 2021

And Callen, Brees' youngest son, sat intently while watching his dad blow into a real spirometer. —Amie Just | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, 17 Nov. 2020

Brees posted a photo of him blowing into a spirometer — a device that's used to measure the air going in and out of the lungs — while being surrounded and tended to by three of his children. —Amie Just | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, 16 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary spiro- (from Latin spirare to breathe) + -meter

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

spirometer

noun

spi·​rom·​e·​ter spi-ˈräm-ət-ər 

: an instrument used in spirometry for measuring the air entering and leaving the lungs

spirometric

ˌspī-rə-ˈme-trik 

adjective