An instrument that measures altitude or elevation, showing how high something is above sea level or another reference point.
From Latin 'altus' (high) plus '-meter' (from Greek 'metron,' to measure). This scientific instrument became essential in aviation and mountaineering during the 20th century.
Altometers are absolute lifesavers in aviation—pilots depend on them constantly to know exactly how high they are, and early aviation disasters often happened when pilots became disoriented and had no altitude reference except their faulty sense of balance.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.