ENGLISH
REFERENCE

thermometer

n. countable
A2 Elementary US //θɝˈmɑmətɝ// UK //θɜːmˈɒmɪtɐ// ther·mome·ter

n. a tool used to measure how hot or cold something is. You use it to check the weather or to see if you have a fever.

n. an instrument for measuring and indicating temperature, typically consisting of a narrow, sealed glass tube marked with graduations and containing at its lower end a bulb of mercury or alcohol.


SIMPLE

The thermometer shows that it is thirty degrees outside.

CONTEXTUAL

The nurse placed the digital thermometer under the patient's tongue to check for a fever.

COMPLEX

Advanced infrared thermometers allow medical professionals to obtain accurate body temperature readings without making physical contact, which is essential for maintaining hygiene in busy clinics.

Origin

Borrowed from French thermomètre; equivalent to thermo- + -meter.

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