A highly accurate timepiece, especially one used for navigation at sea.
Coined in 1735 by English clockmaker John Harrison from Greek 'chronos' (time) and 'metron' (measure). Harrison created this word specifically for his revolutionary marine clocks that could keep accurate time at sea despite temperature changes and ship motion. Before chronometers, sailors couldn't determine longitude accurately, making ocean navigation extremely dangerous.
The chronometer literally saved thousands of sailors' lives by solving the 'longitude problem' - for centuries, ships would get hopelessly lost at sea because they couldn't tell their east-west position! John Harrison not only invented the device but also had to invent the word to describe his world-changing creation.
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