Meanings
alternative UK callipers · alternative caliper
- pluralplural onlyA device used to measure dimensions, especially for small or precise measurements.
"Good, good for there," he mumbled, and then with a certain eagerness asked me whether I would let him measure my head. Rather surprised, I said Yes, when he produced a thing like calipers and got the dimensions back and front and every way, taking notes carefully.
1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I - UKpluralplural onlyA metal (orthopedic) leg support.
And simultaneously I raise my trouser cuff to reveal the leather straps and wicked steel calipers harnessing my right boot.
1988, Bapsi Sidhwa, Ice-Candy Man, Daunt Books (2016), page 4Synonyms: leg braces
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA metal (orthopedic) leg support.
Origin
A corruption of caliber.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian шу́блер
- шу́блер (šúbler)measuring device
Catalan calibrador
- calibradormeasuring device
Chinese Mandarin 卡尺
- 卡尺 (kǎchǐ)measuring device
Czech posuvné měřítko, šupléra
- posuvné měřítkomeasuring device
- šuplérameasuring device
Danish skydelære
- skydelæremeasuring device
Dutch schuifmaat, schuifpasser
- schuifmaatmeasuring device
- schuifpassermeasuring device
Finnish tulkki, työntömitta
- tulkkimeasuring device
- työntömittameasuring device
- rakotulkkimeasuring device
French compas d'épaisseur, pied à coulisse
- compas d'épaisseurmeasuring device
- pied à coulissemeasuring device
German Stangenzirkel, Messschieber
- Stangenzirkelmeasuring device
- Messschiebermeasuring device
- Kalibermeasuring device
Icelandic rennimál, skífmál
- rennimálmeasuring device
- skífmálmeasuring device
Māori kauae-ine
- kauae-inemeasuring device
Norwegian skyvelære
- skyvelæremeasuring device
Polish suwmiarka
- suwmiarkameasuring device
Portuguese paquímetro
- paquímetromeasuring device
Russian штангенци́ркуль
- штангенци́ркуль (štangencírkulʹ)measuring device
Spanish calibre
- calibremeasuring device
Swahili kalipa
- kalipameasuring device
Swedish krumpassare, krumcirkel
- krumpassaremeasuring device
- krumcirkelmeasuring device
- skjutmåttmeasuring device
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
calipers. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calipers
“calipers.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calipers. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “calipers,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calipers.
Source: calipers on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.