Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
tachograph

tachograph

1 8.9
A machine in a vehicle that records speed, distance and driver work and rest times
  • noun
  • /ˈtækəˌgræf/
  • UK
: tacógrafo
  • The tachograph recorded the truck's speed and driving hours during the journey.

Examples

  • Truckers have tachographs and sometimes dashboard video.

    Blog text (16)

  • The driver checked the tachograph to ensure they were complying with rest regulations.

  • A tachograph tells the driver how much mileage is left in the car for both the electric and hybrid drive modes.

    Academic text (1995)

  • We cannulated their trachea and connected the cannula to a heated tachograph, which output was connected to a differential pressure transducer.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Every commercial truck is required to have a functioning tachograph to monitor driver activity.

Synonyms

mileometer
vstachograph
  • Specialized
6.8

A device in a vehicle that shows how many miles it has traveled

records speed distance and driver activity and rest

How Automatic

tachograph
  • UK
1 8.9
speedometer
11 3.3
logbook
10 3.3

Surface Forms

tachograph singular
tachographs plural

Morphology

tachograph = tacho + graph

The meaning is fairly technical but still recoverable from the combining forms 'tacho' (speed) and '-graph' (recording instrument).

Etymology

The word tachograph comes from Greek parts tach- meaning 'speed' and -graph meaning 'writing', the same -graph you see in photograph and autograph. So, a tachograph is literally a 'speed writer' that records how fast a vehicle goes and when the driver works or rests.