Meanings
nounpotentiometer (plural potentiometers)
plural potentiometers · alternative potentiometre
- businessA user-adjustable three-terminal variable resistor that can be used as a voltage divider.
- natural sciencesAn instrument that measures a voltage by opposing it with a precise fraction of a known voltage, and without drawing current from the unknown source.First known use late 19th c.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna resistor with three terminals, the third being an adjustable center terminal; used to adjust voltages in radios and TV sets
Similar
Broader
potential dividervoltage divider
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Arabic مقياس الجهد الانزلاقي
- مقياس الجهد الانزلاقيuser-adjustable variable resistor
Chinese Mandarin 电位器
- 电位器 (diàn wèi qì)user-adjustable variable resistor
Czech potenciometr
- potenciometruser-adjustable variable resistor
Dutch potentiometer, potmeter
- potentiometeruser-adjustable variable resistor
- potmeteruser-adjustable variable resistor
Finnish potentiometri
- potentiometriuser-adjustable variable resistor
French potentiomètre
- potentiomètreuser-adjustable variable resistor
German Potentiometer
- Potentiometeruser-adjustable variable resistor
Greek ποτενσιόμετρο, ρυθμιστής τάσης
- ποτενσιόμετρο (potensiómetro)user-adjustable variable resistor
- ρυθμιστής τάσης (rythmistís tásis)user-adjustable variable resistor
Hebrew מד מתח, פוטנציומטר
- מד מתח (mad métakh)user-adjustable variable resistor
- פוטנציומטר (potentsiyométer)user-adjustable variable resistor
Hungarian potenciométer
- potenciométeruser-adjustable variable resistor
Italian reostato, potenziometro
- reostatouser-adjustable variable resistor
- potenziometroinstrument that measures a voltage
Japanese ポテンショメータ, 電位差計
- ポテンショメータ (potenshomēta)user-adjustable variable resistor
- 電位差計 (den'isakei)instrument that measures a voltage
Korean 가변저항
- 가변저항 (gabyeonjeohang)user-adjustable variable resistor
Malay potensiometer
- potensiometerinstrument that measures a voltage
Polish potencjometr
- potencjometruser-adjustable variable resistor
Portuguese potenciômetro
- potenciômetrouser-adjustable variable resistor
Russian потенциометр
- потенциометр (potenciometr)user-adjustable variable resistor
Spanish potenciómetro
- potenciómetrouser-adjustable variable resistor
Vietnamese biến trở, chiết áp
- biến trởuser-adjustable variable resistor
- chiết ápuser-adjustable variable resistor
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with potentiometer
thermometerbarometerspectrometerkilometremagnetometerspeedometerspectrophotometerhygrometerphotometerhydrometersphygmomanometerpyrometercytometerbolometerspirometergalvanometerelectrometercringeometerdromometererythrocytometerhaemometerhectometreosmometerpharyngometer
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
potentiometer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/potentiometer
MLA
“potentiometer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/potentiometer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “potentiometer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/potentiometer.
Source: potentiometer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.