Pycnometer

Pronunciation

Origin

From the Ancient Greek roots πυκνός ("dense") and μέτρον ("measure").

Full definition of pycnometer

Noun

1. (physics) A vessel used to determine the specific gravity of a liquid; a specific gravity bottle.
• 2006 December 8th, David Biello, “Fact or Fiction?: Archimedes Coined the Term ‘Eureka!’ in the Bath” in Scientific American: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.

Related terms

• pycnometric
• pycnometry