pycnometer

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πυκνός (puknós, “dense”) and μέτρον (métron, “measure”). By surface analysis, pycno- +‎ -meter.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pɪkˈnɒmɪtə(ɹ)/

Noun

pycnometer (plural pycnometers)

  1. (physics, metrology) A vessel of precisely known volume used by weighing to determine the specific gravity or relative density of a liquid.
    Synonym: specific gravity bottle
    • 2006 December 8, David Biello, “Fact or Fiction?: Archimedes Coined the Term ‘Eureka!’ in the Bath”, in Scientific American‎[1], New York, N.Y.: Springer Nature America, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 4 October 2026:
      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.

Translations

Further reading

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