Standard Lemma guide

chronometer

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /kɹəˈnɒm.ə.tə(ɹ)/
  • US: /krə(ʊ)ˈnɒmɪtər/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /kɹəˈnɔm.ə.tə(ɹ)/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A device for measuring time, particularly a precision mechanism for measuring time of day.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • A wristwatch costs $20; a chronometer costs $20,000.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an accurate clock (especially used in navigation)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: clock

History

Etymology

From chrono- + -meter, possibly after the model of earlier French chronomètre (“metronome”), ultimately from Ancient Greek χρόνος (khrónos, “time”) + μέτρον (métron, “meter, measuring device”).

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ժամանակաչափ (žamanakačʻapʻ) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Belarusian: храно́метр (xranómjetr) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Belarusian: храно́мэтр (xranómetr) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Belarusian: храно́мэтар (xranómetar) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Bulgarian: часовник (časovnik) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Bulgarian: хронометър (hronometǎr) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Catalan: cronòmetre — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Chinese Mandarin: 時計 /时计 (shíjì) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Chinese Mandarin: 計時器 /计时器 (jìshíqì) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Czech: chronometr — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Dutch: chronometer — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Esperanto: kronometro — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Finnish: kronometri — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Finnish: kello — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • French: chronomètre — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • French: chronoscope — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Galician: cronómetro — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • German: Chronometer — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • German: Uhr — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Ancient Greek: ὡρολόγιον (hōrológion) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Ancient Greek: ὠράριθμον (ōrárithmon) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Hungarian: időmérő — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Hungarian: óra — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Indonesian: kronometer — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Irish: cronaiméadar — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Italian: cronometro — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Japanese: クロノメーター (kuronomētā) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Korean: 크로노미터 (keuronomiteo) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Latin: horologium — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Māori: matawā — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Persian: کرنومتر (koronometr) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Persian: گاهسنج (gâh-sanj) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Persian: زمانسنج (zamân-sanj) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Polish: chronometr — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Polish: czasomierz — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Portuguese: cronómetro — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Portuguese: cronômetro — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Portuguese: cronoscópio — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Russian: хроно́метр (xronómetr) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Russian: хроноско́п (xronoskóp) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Serbo-Croatian: кро̏нометар — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Serbo-Croatian: krȍnometar — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Slovene: chronometer — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Spanish: cronómetro — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Tagalog: tionsukat — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Thai: โครโนมิเตอร์ (kroo-noo-mí-dtə̂ə) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Turkish: saat — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
  • Ukrainian: хроно́метр (xronómetr) — device for measuring time, particularly time of day
Real reading context

chronometer in complete knowledge articles