Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Dynamometer
/ˌdaɪnəˈmɒmɪtər/noun
An instrument that measures force, torque or mechanical power.
The Greek roots
δύναμις
dýnamis
power, force
μέτρον
métron
measure
Literally: “power measure”
The story of the word
Edmé Régnier built the spring device in 1798 to measure the pull of a man or a horse, and the French name dynamomètre came with it. δύναμις in Greek covered bodily strength, latent capacity and political power all at once, which is why it stands behind dynamic, dynasty and dynamite. Nobel picked the same root in 1867 for a substance with no interest whatever in measurement.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → scientific coinage → French → English
- First recorded
- early 19th century
Same family
dynamicdynamitedynastythermometer
In a sentence
They put the engine on a dynamometer and it made forty horsepower less than claimed.
Grip strength is measured with a hand dynamometer.