galvanometer

noun

gal·​va·​nom·​e·​ter ˌgal-və-ˈnä-mə-tər How to pronounce galvanometer (audio)
: an instrument for detecting or measuring a small electric current by movements of a magnetic needle or of a coil in a magnetic field
galvanometric adjective

Examples of galvanometer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Instead of merely tying her up, Crookes connected Fay's hands to a galvanometer, an instrument for measuring electric current. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024 One was connected to a battery, thereby magnetizing the iron, and the other was connected to a galvanometer to detect electric current. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2023 Willem Einthoven’s string galvanometer was sensitive enough to measure the tiny but regular voltage fluctuations in a single heartbeat. IEEE Spectrum, 29 Jan. 2021 These red rays fall on two thin gold leaves attached to the wires of a tiny galvanometer. Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 17 Dec. 2020 The Cybraphon’s emotions are accessible via a Twitter feed but also appear on a on a 100 year-old galvanometer housed in the wardrobe (pictured above). Priya Ganapati, WIRED, 31 July 2009

Word History

Etymology

galvan(ic) + -o- + -meter

Note: Term apparently introduced by the British scientist William Haseldine Pepys (1775-1856) in "Description of a newly invented Galvanometer, and an Account of some Experiments with Voltaʼs Pile upon several of the Gases," The Philosophical Magazine, vol. 10 (1801), pp. 38-42.

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of galvanometer was in 1802

Dictionary Entries Near galvanometer

Cite this Entry

“Galvanometer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galvanometer. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

galvanometer

noun
gal·​va·​nom·​e·​ter ˌgal-və-ˈnäm-ət-ər How to pronounce galvanometer (audio)
: an instrument for detecting or measuring a small electric current

Medical Definition

galvanometer

noun
gal·​va·​nom·​e·​ter ˌgal-və-ˈnäm-ət-ər How to pronounce galvanometer (audio)
: an instrument for detecting or measuring a small electric current by movements of a magnetic needle or of a coil in a magnetic field
galvanometric adjective

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