rain gauge
- noun
- /reɪn ɡeɪdʒ/
- Specialized
:
pluviómetro
- The long precipitation record from a dense network of more than 60 recording rain gauges was used to modify national rainfall frequency atlases that are used in predicting flooding.
- check the rain gauge
Examples
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A rain gauge is a container that is marked on the side with measurement lines (usually indicating inches and/or millimeters).
Academic text (2003) -
Children at Old School are gathering and analyzing data from rain gauges they have designed and made.
Academic text (1994) -
Where would they like to place the rain gauge?
Academic text (2003) -
Show the students the rain gauge.
Academic text (2003) -
Would it be helpful to have more than one rain gauge?
Academic text (2003) -
We have a working rain gauge which is now ready to brave the elements in the real world experiment.
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Tell them that they will be using this instrument to collect and measure rainfall and explain how a rain gauge works.
Academic text (2003) -
Prevent inaccurate readings of the rain gauge by having the students work in teams of 2 or 3 when they take the daily reading.
Academic text (2003) -
Each morning (or afternoon), have a team of 2-3 students check the rain gauge, record the amount of rain, and then empty the gauge so it will be ready for the next reading.
Academic text (2003) -
The weather station uses a rain gauge to measure the rainfall each month.
Synonyms
A tool that measures how much rain falls
A tool that measures how much rain falls
A tool that measures how much rain falls
A device with a float that rests on collected rain to measure how much falls
A tool that measures rain using a float on the top of the collected water
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an instrument for measuring rainfall' is directly and transparently composed from 'rain' (water droplets that fall from the sky) + 'gauge' (a device that measures quantities). This straightforward noun–noun compounding pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun rain gauge is a simple, literal name: rain is what it catches and gauge is a tool that measures. The device collects falling rain and shows how much fell, so the name means 'a tool to measure how much rain fell'.
