an
instrument for measuring
time precisely; highly accurate kind of
clock or
watch, as for scientific
use.
a timepiece or timing device with a
special mechanism for ensuring and adjusting its accuracy, for
use in determining
longitude (the distance east or
west on the Earth's surface, measured in degrees from a certain meridian, a
line from the
North to the
South Pole) at
sea or for any
purpose where very exact measurement of
time is required.
an
instrument for measuring
time precisely; a highly accurate kind of
clock or
watch.
an exceptionally precise
clock,
watch or other timepiece. And I have had the unfortunate
experience of
having had to
navigate in many oceans off the
cuff, on my own, inadequate
equipment, stopped chronometers and all of this sort of thing, and missing
tables and so forth.
- Study and Intention (18 Aug. 66) n. a timepiece that meets certain strict
standards of accuracy. The chronometer (chrono- means
time and -
meter means
measure) was created to fulfill the need of navigators for a very accurate timepiece by which to
determine their
position while at
sea. The first such chronometer was
developed by
English clockmaker
John Harrison (1693-1776) and perfected in the
late 1700s, losing only 15 seconds in 156 days at
sea (about 2 seconds a month). As the British
government was offering a reward to encourage development of such a timepiece, Harrison received 20,000
pounds for his
work. Later in the twentieth century, even more accurate means of determining a
ship's
position were
developed and the chronometer was no longer essential in determining a
ship's
position at
sea.