thermoscope
1
9.9
An early tool that shows when something gets hotter or colder
- noun
- /ˈθɜrməˌskoʊp/
- Archaic
:
termoscopio
- Before the invention of the modern thermometer, scientists relied on the thermoscope to observe changes in temperature.
Examples
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As might be expected, Pepys got his hands on one of the new thermoscopes.
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The thermometer or thermoscope became all the rage in Europe from the 1620s.
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The thermoscope can indicate whether an object is heating up or cooling down without providing an exact temperature.
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One of the main purposes of the thermoscope was to demonstrate temperature variations, not to give precise measurements.
How Precise
Surface Forms
thermoscope singular
thermoscopes plural
Morphology
Etymology
The word thermoscope is made of two parts: thermo- meaning 'heat' and -scope meaning 'to look', as in thermometer and telescope. So a thermoscope is an early device that lets you 'see' or notice changes in heat or temperature, rather than giving exact measurements.