pitot tube

noun, often capitalized P pi·tot tube \ ˈpē-ˌtō- \

Definition of pitot tube

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

2 : pitot-static tube

Recent Examples of pitot tube from the Web

The cause is the fact that the plane's pitot tubes, externally mounted sensors that determine air speed, have iced over, so the human pilots will now have to fly the plane by hand.

— jeff wise, Popular Mechanics, "What Really Happened Aboard Air France 447," 6 Dec. 2011
Another of the pitot tubes begins to function once more.

— jeff wise, Popular Mechanics, "What Really Happened Aboard Air France 447," 6 Dec. 2011
Ice accumulation can wreak havoc inside modern jet engines or on the tips of airspeed-measuring devices extending from the noses of jets, called pitot tubes.

— andy pasztor, WSJ, "Efforts to Tackle Icing Problems on Planes Face Setback," 2 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pitot tube.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pitot tube

French (tube de) Pitot, from Henri Pitot †1771 French physicist

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1852

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

pitot tube

noun, often capitalized P pi·tot tube \ ˌpē-ˌtō- \

medical 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

Pitot \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.