dosimeter

noun

do·​sim·​e·​ter dō-ˈsi-mə-tər 

: an instrument for measuring and monitoring exposure to doses of radiation (such as X-rays or gamma rays)

Her team used a mathematical model and dosimeter readings to estimate neighborhood radiation exposures for the nearly 160,000 people living within a 10-mile radius of the plant.

—Rick Weiss

see dosimetry

Examples of dosimeter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The numbers were climbing on a radiation dosimeter as the minibus carried me deeper into the complex. —Tim Hornyak, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2023

Lost equipment included nearly 700 computers, 350 vehicles and 1,500 dosimeters, totaling $135 million. —Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 May 2023

Around 30 Iridium satellites — which typically beam voice and data communications down to Earth — also host dosimeters that measure radiation in low Earth orbit under the REACH program, a collaboration between the United States Air Force and scientists. —Lyndie Chiou, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2023

One of the earliest examples of using sound to represent data is the dosimeter, or Geiger counter. —Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2023

He was handed a dosimeter, the device used to measure [ionizing] radiation, and used it to measure the levels in tap water. —Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Apr. 2021

Radiation levels around her house are around 20 times the background level in Tokyo, according to a dosimeter reading carried out by Reuters. —Reuters, ABC News, 11 Mar. 2021

One of these was a new dosimeter operated by Wimmer-Schweingruber and his colleagues in Germany and China. —Adam Mann, Science | AAAS, 25 Sep. 2020

The specialized dosimeter measured both charged and neutral particles. —Adam Mann, Science | AAAS, 25 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin dosis + International Scientific Vocabulary -meter

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dosimeter

noun

do·​sim·​e·​ter dō-ˈsim-ət-ər 

: an instrument for measuring doses of X-rays or of radioactivity

Medical Definition

dosimeter

noun

do·​sim·​e·​ter dō-ˈsim-ət-ər 

variants also dosemeter

ˈdō-ˌsmēt-ər 

: an instrument for measuring and monitoring exposure to doses of radiation (as X-rays or gamma rays)

To estimate typical exposures, the researchers are now correlating specific job tasks with individual exposure levels, using data from hundreds of dosimeters worn by workers.

—Carol Ezzell, Science News

see dosimetry