sandglass

1 8.1

A glass device with two bulbs where sand flows to measure time

noun
/ˈsændˌɡlæs/

Archaic

: reloj de arena

During the experiment, we used a sandglass to ensure accurate timing for each trial.

Examples

I set the sandglass for five minutes to time my meditation session.
The measured line (with a small, flat wooden board attached to the end) was thrown overboard at the stern of the ship and allowed to run out as it was timed by a small sandglass.

Academic text (2011)
He turned the sandglass over and watched the fine grains flow from one bulb to the other.

Synonyms

hourglass

vssandglass

20 4.1

Two glass bulbs joined by a narrow neck let sand flow in one hour to measure time

measures a fixed interval rather than exactly one hour

Surface Forms

sandglass singular

sandglasses plural

Morphology

sandglass = sand + glass (transparent) = sand + glass

Literal, directly interpretable compound: a glass vessel containing sand used to measure time, so learners can infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Sandglass is a simple picture: sand inside two connected pieces of glass. As the sand falls from the top to the bottom at a steady rate, the device 'measures time', just like the more common hourglass.