surveyor's instrument
- noun
- Specialized
:
instrumento de agrimensor
- The construction team relied on a surveyor's instrument to accurately determine the boundaries of the property.
Examples
-
To run this line, they used a piece of equipment, also made especially for the survey by John Bird, called a transit—a surveyor's instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles.
Academic text (2006) -
It looks like a top, a surveyor's instrument, a plumb bob.
-
Using a surveyor's instrument, the engineer measured the slope of the land to ensure proper drainage.
-
Before building the new road, they utilized a surveyor's instrument to map the terrain and avoid obstacles.
Synonyms
2
3.0
A tool that shows how big, heavy, or hot something is
1
3.1
A tool that measures things like size or weight
1
5.1
A tool that measures distance, angles, and height to map land
An instrument for measuring distance, direction, and height on land quickly
A tool surveyors use to measure distances quickly
A tool used to measure directions or angles when mapping land
A drawing board with a ruler on a tripod for mapping land features
A small telescope with a bubble level on a rotating mount that measures land height differences
How Precise
- Specialized
1
9.9
- Archaic
15
8.9
- Specialized
- UK
1
4.1
1
1.3
29
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
surveyor's + instrument
The meaning ('a tool used by a surveyor') is directly and transparently derived from 'surveyor's' (the possessive form of surveyor, a person who measures land) plus 'instrument' (a tool or device). This possessive noun+instrument composition is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Surveyor's instrument comes from the simple picture of a surveyor using a measuring tool set on a steady stand to check land and buildings. The word surveyor names the person and instrument the tool, so the phrase means 'a tool used to measure and map land or buildings'.