maximum and minimum thermometer
- noun
- Specialized
:
termómetro de máxima y mínima
- Farmers rely on a maximum and minimum thermometer to monitor temperature changes in their fields.
Examples
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The maximum and minimum thermometer in the greenhouse recorded a high of 30°C and a low of 10°C overnight.
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Our weather station includes a maximum and minimum thermometer for tracking daily temperature extremes.
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The maximum and minimum thermometer recorded the temperature fluctuations throughout the day.
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Have you checked the maximum and minimum thermometer this morning?
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The meteorologist checked the maximum and minimum thermometer to see how cold it had been overnight.
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Farmers often use a maximum and minimum thermometer to monitor temperature extremes that can affect their crops.
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To prepare for the day, she looked at the maximum and minimum thermometer to understand the temperature changes since yesterday.
Surface Forms
Morphology
maximum + and + minimum + thermometer
The meaning 'a thermometer that records the highest and lowest temperatures' is directly and transparently built from the constituents: 'maximum' and 'minimum' describe the extremes and 'thermometer' names the measuring instrument, with 'and' linking the two extremes. This compositional NP pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the individual words can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Maximum and minimum thermometer is named for how it records the maximum and minimum, the 'highest' and 'lowest' temperatures reached over time. Two small markers inside the glass move with the liquid and stay at the top and bottom so you can read those values later, which is why the name means a thermometer that keeps the 'highest' and 'lowest' readings.
