Meanings
plural pycnometers
- metrologyA vessel of precisely known volume used by weighing to determine the specific gravity or relative density of a liquid.
1 more example
As Galileo showed in his tract La Bilancetta, or “The Little Balance,” a scientist of Archimedes’ stature could have achieved a far more precise result using his own law of buoyancy and an accurate scale, something far more common in the ancient world than a very precise pycnometer, which is used to measure displacement.
2006 December 8, David Biello, “Fact or Fiction?: Archimedes Coined the Term ‘Eureka!’ in the Bath”, in Scientific AmericanSynonyms: specific gravity bottle
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA vessel of precisely known volume used by weighing to determine the specific gravity or relative density of a liquid.
Origin
- Ancient Greekπυκνός“dense”
- Englishpycnometer
From Ancient Greek πυκνός (puknós, “dense”) and μέτρον (métron, “measure”). By surface analysis, pycno- + -meter.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French pycnomètre
- pycnomètrevessel used to determine a liquid’s specific gravity
Greek πυκνόμετρο
- πυκνόμετρο (pyknómetro)vessel used to determine a liquid’s specific gravity
Cite this entry
pycnometer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pycnometer
“pycnometer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pycnometer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pycnometer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pycnometer.
Source: pycnometer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.