Rhabdometer
/ˌræb.dəˈmiː.tər/noun
An instrument used to measure the length of a rod or the distance between two points.
Did you know?Rhabdometer combines Greek rhabdos, “rod,” with metron, “measure,” the same ancient measuring root behind words such as diameter and parameter.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meh₁-
“To measure or establish a measurement”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέτρον (metron)
“A measure, measurement, or standard”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ῥάβδος (rhabdos)
“A rod, staff, or slender stick”
19th Century
Scientific Greek/Latin
rhabdometrum
“A scientific formation meaning an instrument for measuring rods”
19th Century
English
rhabdometer
“An instrument for measuring a rod or the distance between two points”
Modern English
English
rhabdometer
“A specialized measuring instrument, now chiefly encountered in historical or technical dictionaries”
Explore more surprising origins