pitot tube

pi·tot tube

noun, often capitalized P \ˌpē-ˌtō-\

Definition of PITOT TUBE

: a device that consists of a tube having a short right-angled bend which is placed vertically in a moving body of fluid with the mouth of the bent part directed upstream and that is used with a manometer to measure the velocity of fluid flow (as in a blood vessel)

Biographical Note for PITOT TUBE

Pi·tot \pē-tō\ Henri (1695–1771), French hydraulic engineer. Pitot began his career in the chemical laboratory at the Academy of Sciences in Paris. During his two decades at the academy he published a number of papers addressing minor questions in astronomy, geometry, and mechanics, especially hydraulics. In 1735 he published a paper announcing his invention of the Pitot tube.