Sphygmometer
/ˌsfɪɡˈmɒmɪtər/noun
An instrument for measuring the pulse or pulse rate.
Did you know?Its first half comes from Greek sphygmós, meaning “pulse,” the same root behind the medical term sphygmomanometer, so this is literally a word built from the body’s hidden rhythm.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
σφυγμός (sphygmós)
“pulse, beating of the heart”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέτρον (métron)
“measure”
19th Century
English
sphygmometer
“an instrument for measuring the pulse”
Modern English
English
sphygmometer
“a pulse-measuring instrument”
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