Meanings
plural water clocks · alternative waterclock
- historicalA device for measuring time using water, typically by measuring water flowing in or out of a basin of known size at a known rate.
1 more example
[O]ur captain, or the juragan, gives the course, guided partly by the compass and partly by the direction of the wind, and a watch of two or three on the poop look after the trimming of the sails and call out the hours by the water-clock. This is a very ingenious contrivance, which measures time well in both rough weather and fine.
1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 169Synonyms: clepsydra
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA device for measuring time using water, typically by measuring water flowing in or out of a basin of known size at a known rate.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Ancient Greek κλεψύδρα
- κλεψύδρα (klepsúdra)device for measuring time
Arabic سَاعَةٌ مَائِيَّة
- سَاعَةٌ مَائِيَّة (sāʕatun māʔiyya)device for measuring time
Bengali জলঘড়ি
- জলঘড়ি (jolghoṛi)device for measuring time
Bulgarian во́ден часо́вник
- во́ден часо́вник (vóden časóvnik)device for measuring time
Catalan clepsidra
- clepsidradevice for measuring time
Chinese Mandarin 滴漏, 金壺 /金壶
- 滴漏 (dīlòu)device for measuring time
- 金壺 /金壶 (jīnhú)device for measuring time
- 刻漏 (kèlòu)device for measuring time
- 漏壺 /漏壶 (lòuhú)device for measuring time
- 漏刻 (lòukè)device for measuring time
- 水漏 (shuǐlòu)device for measuring time
- 銅壺 /铜壶 (tónghú)device for measuring time
- 懸泉 /悬泉 (xuánquán)device for measuring time
- 水鐘 /水钟 (shuǐzhōng)device for measuring time
Czech vodní hodiny
- vodní hodinydevice for measuring time
Danish vandur
- vandurdevice for measuring time
Dutch wateruuwerk
- wateruuwerkdevice for measuring time
Esperanto akvohorloĝo
- akvohorloĝodevice for measuring time
Estonian veekell
- veekelldevice for measuring time
Finnish vesikello, klepsydra
- vesikellodevice for measuring time
- klepsydradevice for measuring time
French clepsydre
- clepsydredevice for measuring time
German Wasseruhr
- Wasseruhrdevice for measuring time
Greek κλεψύδρα
- κλεψύδρα (klepsýdra)device for measuring time
Hebrew שְׁעוֹן מַיִם
- שְׁעוֹן מַיִם (she'ón máyim)device for measuring time
Hindi जल घड़ी
- जल घड़ी (jal ghaṛī)device for measuring time
Hungarian vízóra
- vízóradevice for measuring time
Icelandic vatnsklukka
- vatnsklukkadevice for measuring time
Indonesian jam air
- jam airdevice for measuring time
Italian clessidra
- clessidradevice for measuring time
Japanese 水時計
- 水時計 (mizudokei)device for measuring time
Korean 물시계, 누각
- 물시계 (mulsigye)device for measuring time
- 누각 (nugak)device for measuring time
- 누수기 (nusugi)device for measuring time
- 수시계 (susigye)device for measuring time
Latin clepsydra
- clepsydradevice for measuring time
Lithuanian vandens laikodris
- vandens laikodrisdevice for measuring time
Malay jam air
- jam airdevice for measuring time
Norwegian Bokmål vannklokke
- vannklokkedevice for measuring time
Polish zegar wodny
- zegar wodnydevice for measuring time
Portuguese clepsidra
- clepsidradevice for measuring time
Russian водяны́е часы́, клепси́дра
- водяны́е часы́ (vodjanýje časý)device for measuring time
- клепси́дра (klepsídra)device for measuring time
Slovak vodné hodiny
- vodné hodinydevice for measuring time
Spanish reloj de agua, reloj ácueo/acuoso/aguoso/hídrico
- reloj de aguadevice for measuring time
- reloj ácueo/acuoso/aguoso/hídricodevice for measuring time
Swedish vattenur
- vattenurdevice for measuring time
Thai นาฬิกาน้ำ
- นาฬิกาน้ำ (naa-lí-gaa-náam)device for measuring time
Turkish su saati
- su saatidevice for measuring time
Ukrainian водяни́й годи́нник, клепси́дра
- водяни́й годи́нник (vodjanýj hodýnnyk)device for measuring time
- клепси́дра (klepsýdra)device for measuring time
Urdu جَل گَھڑی
- جَل گَھڑی (jal ghaṛī)device for measuring time
Vietnamese đồng hồ nước
- đồng hồ nướcdevice for measuring time
Cite this entry
water clock. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/water%20clock
“water clock.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/water%20clock. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “water clock,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/water%20clock.
Source: water clock on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.