barometer Hear it!

barometer definition

ba·rom·eter (bə rämət ər)

noun

  1. an instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure, esp. an aneroid barometer or an evacuated and graduated glass tube (mercury barometer) in which a column of mercury rises or falls as the pressure of the atmosphere increases or decreases: barometers are used in forecasting changes in the weather or finding height above sea level
  2. anything that reflects or indicates change the stock market is a barometer of business

Etymology: baro- + -meter

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