English 'chronometer' from Greek 'khrónos' (time) + 'métron' (measure) — coined for the precision clocks that solved the maritime longitude problem.
A highly accurate timepiece, especially one used in navigation at sea to determine longitude.
A learned compound coined in the 18th century from Greek 'khronos' (time) + 'metron' (measure), with the suffix -er marking the instrument. Greek 'metron' derives from PIE *meh₁- (to measure), the root that underlies 'meter,' 'metric,' 'geometry' (earth-measure), 'thermometer,' 'barometer,' and the Latin cognate 'mensura' (measure), from which English gets 'measure,' 'commensurate,' and 'immense.' The word was
The quest for an accurate chronometer was so important that the British Parliament offered a prize of £20,000 (equivalent to millions today) in the Longitude Act of 1714. John Harrison, a self-taught carpenter-turned-clockmaker, spent decades building increasingly refined chronometers. His H4 (1761) lost only 5 seconds over 81 days at sea — revolutionary accuracy that finally solved the longitude problem and saved