chronometer

noun

chro·​nom·​e·​ter krə-ˈnä-mə-tər 

plural chronometers

: timepiece

I don't know about you, but by the time the short fat hand of my analog chronometer is on the six, I'm about ready to take the rest of the day off.

—Stanley Bing

especially : one designed to keep time with great accuracy despite external forces

Self-educated English clockmaker John Harrison (1693-1776) found the answer by inventing a chronometer—a friction-free timepiece, impervious to pitch and roll, temperature and humidity—that would carry the true time from the home port to any destination.

—Genevieve Stuttaford

Synonyms

• clock
• timekeeper
• timepiece
• timer

Examples of chronometer in a Sentence

a fancy new chronometer that is light-years more advanced than your average wristwatch

Recent Examples on the Web

The French watchmaker served as the official supplier to the French Royal Navy and built much of its reputation on its ultra-precise marine chronometers. —Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 14 July 2024

While reference 5512 Submariners in this configuration can feature two or four lines of text — the latter denoting chronometer certification — all feet-first 5512s have four lines. —Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 4 July 2024

The magnetic compass, gunpowder, the printing press, the chronometer, the cotton gin, the steam engine and the water wheel are among the many examples. —Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2020

This 42 mm chronograph runs to chronometer grade precision, while the integrated bracelet holds its own with the best of this elite category. —Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 27 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

chrono- + -meter

Note: Apparently first used in English by the clergyman and natural philosopher William Derham (1657-1735) in Physico-Theology; or a Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God, from His Works of Creation (London, 1714); see Wolfgang Köberer, "On the First Use of the Term 'Chronometer'," The Mariner's Mirror, vol. 106, no. 2 (2016), pp. 203-06. In French chronomètre was used for a metronome-like device by the musician and pedagogue Étienne Loulié in Elements ou principes de musique (Paris, 1696).

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

chronometer

noun

chro·​nom·​e·​ter krə-ˈnäm-ət-ər 

: an instrument for measuring time

especially : one intended to keep time with great exactness

chronometric

ˌkrän-ə-ˈme-trik

ˌkrō-nə-

adjective

also chronometrical

-tri-kəl

Medical Definition

chronometer

noun

chro·​nom·​e·​ter krə-ˈnäm-ət-ər 

: an instrument for measuring time

especially : one designed to keep time with great accuracy