| 释义 |
hydroscope|ˈhaɪdrəʊskəʊp|
[mod. ad. Gr. ὑδροσκόπ-ος (f. ὑδρο- water + -σκοπος -scope) water-seeker, well-sinker, and ὑδροσκόπιον water-clock (Synesius). In F. hydroscope water-searcher.]
†1. An instrument for the detection of moisture in the air; a hygroscope. Obs.
1678Phillips (ed. 4), Hydroscope, a certain Instrument..for discerning of the Watry volatil streams in the Air. 1721in Bailey. Hence in Mod. Dicts.
2. A kind of water-clock. Hist.
It consisted of a cylindrical graduated tube, filled with water, which trickled through an aperture in the conical bottom, and marked by its subsidence the successive hours.
1727–41in Chambers Cycl. 1809Naval Chron. XXI. 375 The chief part of this machine is a hydroscope. |