altimetry

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noun

The science of measuring altitude.

UncommonScrabble 14

Meanings

nounaltimetry (countable and uncountable, plural altimetries)

plural altimetries

  1. countableuncountableThe science of measuring altitude.
    1 more example

    The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the descent below Minimum Descent Altitude during a nonprecision approach under adverse operating conditions, without visual contact with the runway environment. The Board has been unable to determine the reason for this descent, although the two most likely explanations are (a) improper use of cockpit instrumentation data, or (b) an altimetry system error.

    1972 April 14, National Transportation Safety Board, “2.2b Probable Cause”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Southern Airways, Inc. DC-9, N97S, Tri-State Airport, Huntington, West Virginia, November 14, 1970, archived from the original on 08 May 2022, page 36

Origin

  1. Englishalti(tude)
  2. Proto-Indo-European*med-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*meh₁-
  4. Ancient Greekμέτρον (métron)
  5. Englishaltimetry

From alti(tude) + -metry.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan altimetria
  • altimetriathe science of measuring altitude
Esperanto altmezurado, altometrio
  • altmezuradothe science of measuring altitude
  • altometriothe science of measuring altitude
Finnish altimetria
  • altimetriathe science of measuring altitude
French altimétrie
  • altimétriethe science of measuring altitude
Greek αλτιμετρία
  • αλτιμετρία (altimetría)the science of measuring altitude
Hungarian altimetria
  • altimetriathe science of measuring altitude
Irish airdemhéadracht
  • airdemhéadrachtthe science of measuring altitude
Italian altimetria
  • altimetriathe science of measuring altitude
Portuguese altimetria
  • altimetriathe science of measuring altitude
Cite this entry
APA

altimetry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altimetry

MLA

“altimetry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altimetry. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “altimetry,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altimetry.

Source: altimetry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.