Ombrograph
/ˈɒm.brə.ɡrɑːf/noun
An instrument that automatically records the amount or intensity of rainfall over time.
Did you know?The name combines Greek ombros, “rain,” with graphein, “to write,” linking weather measurement to the same ancient root behind words such as “graph” and “autograph.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂embʰrós
“Rain or precipitation; a reconstructed ancestor associated with the Greek rain-word family.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄμβρος (ombros)
“Rain, especially a heavy shower or storm of rain.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γράφειν (graphein)
“To scratch, carve, write, or record.”
19th Century
French
ombrographe
“A rain-recording instrument; a technical compound formed from Greek ombros and graphein.”
19th Century
English
ombrograph
“An instrument for automatically recording rainfall.”
Modern English
English
ombrograph
“A scientific rain gauge or recorder that produces a continuous rainfall trace.”