What does voltameter mean?
A voltameter is an instrument used to measure voltage, or the potential difference between two points in an electrical circuit. Its name combines “volt,” the unit of electrical potential named after Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, with the suffix “-meter,” meaning an instrument that measures. In everyday technical contexts, the term is often used much like “voltmeter,” especially when describing a device that checks a battery, power supply, or circuit voltage. In electrochemistry, however, “voltameter” can refer more specifically to apparatus that measures the current flowing as an applied potential is changed, making it useful for studying oxidation, reduction, and other electrode reactions. The word is consequently more specialized than its broad definition first suggests, and its precise meaning depends on the field and the equipment in use.
nounA voltmeter is an instrument for measuring the potential difference, or voltage, between two points in an electric circuit. In electrochemistry, the term may also refer to an instrument that measures current while an applied potential is varied.
- An instrument for measuring the potential difference or electromotive force between two points in an electric circuit.
- In electrochemistry, an instrument that measures the current produced as an applied voltage is varied.
"The technician connected the voltameter across the circuit to check the voltage supply."
"The laboratory recorded the voltage indicated by the voltameter at each setting."
"Voltametric analysis was used to study the electrochemical behavior of the coating."
The standard plural is “voltmeters,” used for individual instruments or multiple units of equipment.
"The laboratory purchased several voltmeters for use in the electrical engineering course."
A volt bears the name of Alessandro Volta; a voltameter is the instrument that helps put that electrical legacy to work.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of voltameter
Voltameter is a compound of “volt,” named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, and “-meter,” a suffix derived from Greek and denoting an instrument for measuring. The formation reflects the established vocabulary of electrical measurement, in which names such as ammeter and voltmeter identify instruments according to the electrical quantity they detect. Its additional electrochemical sense developed from the use of such instruments to study current in relation to changing voltage.
Related word forms
How voltameter is actually used
Voltameter is primarily a technical term. In modern general use it is often treated as a synonym for voltmeter, but specialized electrochemical usage can distinguish the two terms.
Easily confused with voltameter
A voltmeter is specifically designed to measure potential difference, while a voltameter is a broader historical term that can also describe an instrument measuring current in an electrochemical system.