Skip to main content
optical pyrometer

optical pyrometer

8.8
A tool that measures very high temperatures by comparing a hot object's light color to a known value
  • noun
  • /ˈɑptɪkəl paɪˈrɑːmɪtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pirómetro óptico
  • Because of steelmaking's high temperatures, fabricators often use non-contact optical pyrometers to measure temperature.

Examples

  • To ensure safety, the engineers utilized an optical pyrometer to measure the temperature of the molten metal.

  • The scientist relied on an optical pyrometer to accurately gauge the heat of the burning sample during the experiment.

  • During the manufacturing process, technicians checked the temperature with an optical pyrometer to maintain quality control.

Synonyms

pyroscope
vsoptical pyrometer
  • Specialized
9.9

A device that measures very high temperatures by looking at the color of light from hot objects

compares that color to a calibrated standard for precise temperature
pyrometer
vsoptical pyrometer
  • Specialized
9.8

An instrument that measures very high temperatures in furnaces and kilns

focuses on comparing emitted color to a calibrated standard as a specific method

Surface Forms

Morphology

optical + pyrometer

The meaning is directly compositional: 'pyrometer' denotes an instrument for measuring high temperatures and 'optical' specifies that it uses light/optical principles, so together they denote a temperature-measuring device that works by optical means. This adjective+noun compound follows regular English formation and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Optical pyrometer comes from a simple image: optical means 'using light' and pyrometer means 'a tool for measuring very hot things'. The device looks at the glowing color of a hot object and compares it to a known standard, so it can tell the temperature without touching the metal.