clepsydra


Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to clepsydra: water clock

clep·sy·dra

 (klĕp′sĭ-drə)
n. pl. clep·sy·dras or clep·sy·drae (-drē′)
An ancient device that measured time by marking the regulated flow of water through a small opening. Also called water glass.

[Latin, from Greek klepsudrā : kleptein, kleps-, to steal + hudōr, water; see wed- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

clepsydra

(ˈklɛpsɪdrə)
n, pl -dras or -drae (-ˌdriː)
(Horology) an ancient device for measuring time by the flow of water or mercury through a small aperture. Also called: water clock
[C17: from Latin, from Greek klepsudra, from kleptein to steal + hudōr water]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

clep•sy•dra

(ˈklɛp sɪ drə)

n., pl. -dras, -drae (-ˌdri)
[1640–50; < Latin < Greek klepsýdra <kléptein to steal + hýdōr water]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

clepsydra

an instrument for measuring time by the controlled flow of water or mercury through a small opening.
See also: Instruments, Time
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.clepsydra - clock that measures time by the escape of waterclepsydra - clock that measures time by the escape of water
clock - a timepiece that shows the time of day
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
Clepsydra: (a) low value (b) trend (c) unsettling (d) water clock 2.
The Ancient Agora Museum in Athens houses a host of artifacts related to Athenian democracy, including a clepsydra, or water clock, which was used to impose time limits on speeches before tribunals and in political discourse in late fifth century B.C.
For the student teacher, bulletin board and project planner, and home schooler, a topic finder itemizes vending machines and suspension bridges under "mechanical," eohippus and maize under "agriculture," and the armillary, compass, and solar calendar under "astronomy." Curious students will gain perspective on world history from the time line, which places in order of invention such valuable entities as the numeral system, clepsydra, and encyclopedia.
Their set will include hit songs Clepsydra (Hourglass) and Oniropagida (Dream Catcher).
Woodhull, Winifred (2006), "Monique Wittig Reconsidered," Clepsydra 5: 147-166.
The section on time measurement features three essays: technological development from clepsydra to clock, the personal account of a court astrologer, and Ottoman clock towers.