What does sphygmometer mean?
A sphygmometer is an instrument for measuring arterial blood pressure, particularly by observing or registering the pulse. In nineteenth-century medicine, devices of this kind allowed practitioners to obtain a numerical indication of arterial pressure instead of relying only on the character and force of a pulse felt by the fingers. The word is now chiefly historical: the familiar cuff-and-gauge device is generally called a sphygmomanometer, while electronic monitors are usually described as blood-pressure monitors. Despite its specialized status, the sphygmometer remains an important link in the history of medical measurement. Its name reflects that history, combining the Greek word for the pulse with the suffix meaning “measure.” It is especially useful to readers interested in medicine, the development of diagnostic instruments, or the evolution of clinical language, although modern speakers normally encounter it in historical texts rather than in ordinary conversation.
nounAn instrument for measuring arterial blood pressure, especially by measuring the pulse. The term is now largely historical, having been largely replaced by the sphygmomanometer and modern electronic blood-pressure monitors.
- An instrument used to measure arterial blood pressure, especially by registering the arterial pulse.
"The physician used a sphygmometer to measure the patient's arterial pressure."
"The clinic obtained a sphygmometer reading before deciding whether further treatment was necessary."
"In his account of nineteenth-century medicine, the historian describes how a sphygmometer replaced some forms of manual pulse assessment."
The regular plural is used when referring to more than one instrument.
"Several sphygmometers were arranged on the physician's desk."
A sphygmometer was medicine's early pulse-measuring instrument, turning the ancient doctor’s fingers into something capable of producing a numerical reading.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sphygmometer come from?
The word was formed in English from Greek sphygmos, meaning “pulse,” and the combining form -meter, meaning “a device for measuring.” It developed as a nineteenth-century medical term for an instrument that measured arterial pressure through the pulse. Related English words include sphygmograph, sphygmomanometer, and sphygmology, all of which share the Greek element for “pulse.”
Related word forms
How sphygmometer is actually used
The word is formal and chiefly historical in modern English. It is encountered in medical history, historical descriptions of clinical practice, and specialist reference works rather than everyday conversation.
Easily confused with sphygmometer
A sphygmomanometer is the familiar cuff-and-gauge device used to measure blood pressure, whereas a sphygmometer is the older, broader term for an instrument measuring arterial pressure or pulse.
A sphygmograph records the shape and movement of the pulse over time, while a sphygmometer provides a numerical measurement of arterial pressure.