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Glite Dictionary
alcohol-in-glass thermometer

alcohol-in-glass thermometer

6.0
A glass thermometer with alcohol that rises when it gets warm and falls when it gets cold
  • noun
  • /ˈæl.kə.hɔl ɪn ɡlæs θərˈmɑː.mɪ.tər/
translation icon : termómetro de alcohol
  • The nurse used an alcohol-in-glass thermometer to check the patient's temperature.

Examples

  • Unlike a mercury device, the alcohol-in-glass thermometer is less toxic and often used in schools.

  • The alcohol-in-glass thermometer showed a sharp drop in temperature overnight.

  • The alcohol-in-glass thermometer is very accurate.

  • Can you use an alcohol-in-glass thermometer for cooking?

  • The alcohol-in-glass thermometer accurately measures the temperature of the liquid inside the glass tube.

  • Teachers often prefer an alcohol-in-glass thermometer for classroom experiments because it is safer than mercury.

  • When the weather gets colder, the alcohol-in-glass thermometer reflects the drop in temperature by showing a lower reading.

Synonyms

thermometer
vsalcohol-in-glass thermometer
74 3.0

A tool that tells you how hot or cold something is

refers specifically to a marked tube with liquid that rises and falls with temperature
alcohol thermometer
vsalcohol-in-glass thermometer
4.3

A glass tube with alcohol that rises to show temperature

shows the liquid rising with heat and falling with cold
mercury-in-glass thermometer
vsalcohol-in-glass thermometer
6.5

A glass tube containing mercury that rises to show temperature

uses an organic liquid rather than a dense metal to indicate temperature

Surface Forms

alcohol-in-glass thermometer singular
alcohol-in-glass thermometers plural

Morphology

alcohol-in-glass + thermometer

The compound names its referent compositionally: a thermometer (instrument for measuring temperature) that has alcohol in a glass tube. The constituents ('alcohol', 'in', 'glass', 'thermometer') are frequent and the substance-in-container modifier pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The name alcohol-in-glass thermometer is very literal: it is a glass tube with alcohol inside that expands and rises when it gets warm and contracts and falls when it gets cold. So, the name tells you it 'measures temperature' by the movement of alcohol in glass.