astrophotometer
|as-tro-pho-tom-e-ter|
🇺🇸
/ˌæs.trəˌfoʊˈtɒm.ɪ.tər/
🇬🇧
/ˌæs.trəʊˌfəʊˈtɒm.ɪ.tə/
measure starlight
Etymology
'astrophotometer' originates from Greek and modern English combining forms: specifically 'astron' (Greek) meaning 'star' for the prefix 'astro-', 'phōs' (Greek) meaning 'light' for 'photo-', and 'metron' (Greek) meaning 'measure' for '-meter' (via Latin/Greek combining forms).
'astrophotometer' was formed in modern scientific English by combining the prefix 'astro-' (relating to stars/space) with the established instrument name 'photometer' (itself from Greek roots 'phōs' + 'metron'); the term developed from phrases like 'astronomical photometer' to the shorter compound 'astrophotometer' in 20th-century astronomical instrumentation literature.
Initially, the roots referred generally to 'measurements of light'; over time the compound came to mean specifically 'an instrument for measuring light from astronomical objects' rather than general laboratory light measurement.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an instrument designed to measure the intensity (brightness) and often the spectral distribution of light from astronomical objects such as stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies; essentially a photometer adapted for astronomical use.
The research group calibrated the astrophotometer before observing the faint variable stars.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/08 19:06