Orometer
/ˈɔːrəˌmɛtər/noun
A device for measuring the height of mountains or land elevations.
Did you know?Orometer is built from Greek oros “mountain” + metron “measure,” and that same metron root also gave us meter, a word that still carries the ancient idea of measuring by humanly graspable standards.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*méri- / *meh₁-
“to measure; a shared ancient root behind measuring words”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄρος (oros)
“mountain, hill”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέτρον (metron)
“measure, standard”
19th Century
English
orometer
“a mountain-measuring instrument”
Modern English
English
orometer
“a device for measuring the height of mountains or land elevations”