A device used to measure the alcohol content in a liquid by determining how much it floats or sinks in water.
Compound of 'alcohol' (from Arabic al-kohl, a fine powder used for eye makeup) and '-meter' (from Greek metron, meaning measure). The term emerged in the 18th century as scientific measurement became popular.
Before modern chemistry, people invented all sorts of instruments to measure alcohol content — and they kept renaming them with fancy Greek and Latin endings! It's like how we have 'smartphone' and 'smartphone device' today.
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