spectrometer

spec·trom·e·ter
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UK/spɛkˈtɹɒm.ɪ.tə/Canada, US/spɛkˈtɹɑm.ɪ.təɹ/Canada/spɛkˈtɹɒm.ɪ.təɹ/Australia/spekˈtɹɔm.ɪ.tə/

noun

An optical instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances; typically it will plot a graph of absorption versus wavelength or frequency, and the patterns produced are used to identify the substances present, and their internal structure.

Similar
mass spectrometer
OriginAncient Greek μέτρον (métron) ← Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- ← English spectro- →
Less commonScrabble 18
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Meanings

nounspectrometer (plural spectrometers)

plural spectrometers

  1. analytical chemistryAn optical instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances; typically it will plot a graph of absorption versus wavelength or frequency, and the patterns produced are used to identify the substances present, and their internal structure.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounspectroscope for obtaining a mass spectrum by deflecting ions into a thin slit and measuring the ion current with an electrometer

Similar
mass spectrometer
Broader
spectroscopeprism spectroscope
Also see
mass spectrometer

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*speḱ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*spéḱyeti
  3. Proto-Italic*spekjō
  4. Latinspeciō
  5. Latinspectrum
  6. Englishspectrum
  7. Englishspectro-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*med-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*meh₁-
  10. Ancient Greekμέτρον (métron)
  11. Englishspectrometer

From spectro- + -meter.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مِطْيَاف
  • مِطْيَاف (miṭyāf)instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Bengali বর্ণালীমাপক
  • বর্ণালীমাপক (bornalimapok)instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Catalan espectròmetre
  • espectròmetreinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Chinese Mandarin 光譜儀 /光谱仪
  • 光譜儀 /光谱仪 (guāngpǔyí)instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Czech spektrometr, vidmoměr
  • spektrometrinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
  • vidmoměrinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Dutch spectrometer
  • spectrometerinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Finnish spektrometri
  • spektrometriinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
French spectromètre
  • spectromètreinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
German Spektrometer
  • Spektrometerinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Hindi वर्णक्रममापी
  • वर्णक्रममापी (varṇakrammāpī)instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Italian spettrometro, spettroscopio
  • spettrometroinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
  • spettroscopioinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Japanese 分光計
  • 分光計 (bunkōkei)instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Korean 분광기
  • 분광기 (bun'gwanggi)instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Malay spektrometer
  • spektrometerinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Norwegian Bokmål spektrometer
  • spektrometerinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Norwegian Nynorsk spektrometer
  • spektrometerinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Persian طیفسنج
  • طیفسنج (teyf-sanj)instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Polish spektrometr
  • spektrometrinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Portuguese espetrómetro, espectrómetro
  • espetrómetroinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
  • espectrómetroinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
  • espectrômetroinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Romanian spectrometru
  • spectrometruinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Russian спектро́метр
  • спектро́метр (spektrómetr)instrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Spanish espectrómetro
  • espectrómetroinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Tagalog balngawsukat
  • balngawsukatinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances
Turkish spektrometre
  • spektrometreinstrument for measuring the absorption of light by chemical substances

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with spectrometer

thermometerbarometerkilometremagnetometerspeedometerpotentiometerspectrophotometerhygrometerphotometerhydrometersphygmomanometerpyrometercytometerbolometerspirometergalvanometerelectrometercringeometerdromometererythrocytometerhaemometerhectometreosmometerpharyngometer
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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