Meanings
plural clepsydras · plural clepsydrae · alternative klepsydra · alternative klepsudra
- Synonym of water clock, especially (historical) ancient Greek and Roman forms.
"The dull, unflavoured drops from life's clepsydra".
1953, John Wyndham, The Kraken Wakes, page 1241 more example
They sat among the choiring clepsydras of the evening garden, time elapsing in a dozen ways, allowing their cigars to go out, keeping a companionable silence.
2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 856Synonyms: water clock
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of water clock, especially (historical) ancient Greek and Roman forms.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekκλεψύδρα
- Latinclepsydra
- Englishclepsydra
From Latin clepsydra, from Ancient Greek κλεψύδρα (klepsúdra), from κλέπτειν (kléptein, “to steal”) + ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Spanish clepsidra
- clepsidranoun
Cite this entry
clepsydra. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clepsydra
“clepsydra.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clepsydra. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clepsydra,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clepsydra.
Source: clepsydra on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.