What does pyrometer mean?
A pyrometer is an instrument used to measure temperature, especially the very high temperatures found in furnaces, molten materials, engines, and industrial processes. Unlike a conventional thermometer, a pyrometer often works by detecting the infrared radiation emitted by a hot object, allowing a measurement to be taken without physically touching the surface. Different designs are used for different applications, including optical, infrared, and other radiation-based pyrometers. In engineering and manufacturing, the word is especially associated with controlling and monitoring furnaces, metals, kilns, and heat-treatment processes. It is a precise technical term rather than a general synonym for every temperature-measuring device. Understanding it is useful because it identifies instruments suited to conditions that ordinary liquid-in-glass thermometers cannot practically handle.
nounAn instrument for measuring temperature, especially very high temperatures, typically by detecting the intensity of radiation emitted by a hot object. The term can also refer to devices that measure the temperature of heated materials, metals, furnaces, and industrial equipment.
- An instrument that measures very high temperatures, especially by detecting the intensity of radiation emitted by a hot body.
"The technician monitored the furnace with an infrared pyrometer."
"The foundry worker checked the molten metal with a portable pyrometer."
"Engineers placed a pyrometer beside the turbine to monitor its operating temperature."
The plural is formed by adding -s and is used when referring to multiple instruments.
"The laboratory calibrated several pyrometers before the test."
A pyrometer can measure the heat of a furnace without touching it, turning invisible radiation into a temperature reading.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pyrometer come from?
The word combines the Greek roots pyr, meaning “fire,” and metron, meaning “measure.” Its development in English followed the growth of industrial and scientific methods for monitoring intense heat. The same Greek element underlies words concerning fire, including pyre, pyrite, pyromania, and pyrophobia.
Related word forms
How pyrometer is actually used
This is primarily a technical term used in engineering, metallurgy, glassmaking, and other industrial or scientific contexts. It usually refers to instruments for high-temperature measurement rather than ordinary household temperature measurement.
Easily confused with pyrometer
A pyrometer is generally used for measuring very high temperatures, often by radiation, whereas a thermometer is commonly used for ordinary liquid, air, or bodily temperatures.