Definition

1. Noun:
   • A thermometer that uses thermoelectric current to measure temperature: An instrument for measuring temperature where the sensing element generates a small electric current or changes its electrical resistance in response to temperature changes. This electrical signal is then converted into a temperature reading.

Usage

• The term "electric thermometer" is a specific, technical noun phrase. It is used to describe the category of the instrument, not the act of measuring.
• It is typically used in scientific, industrial, medical, and technical contexts to distinguish these devices from traditional liquid-in-glass (mercury or alcohol) thermometers.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The laboratory replaced all its mercury thermometers with digital electric thermometers for safety and precision.
  • An electric thermometer with a remote probe is ideal for checking the internal temperature of an oven.
  • The patient's fever was monitored continuously using an electric thermometer connected to the monitoring station.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used generically, but in precise technical language, it can encompass several specific types based on the underlying principle:
  • Thermocouple Thermometer: Uses the thermoelectric effect (Seebeck effect) where two dissimilar metals joined together produce a voltage proportional to temperature difference.
  • Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) Thermometer: Uses a wire coil or film whose electrical resistance changes predictably with temperature.
  • Thermistor Thermometer: Uses a ceramic semiconductor whose resistance changes significantly with temperature.

Variants and Related Words

• Digital Thermometer: A common subtype of electric thermometer that displays the temperature numerically on a screen. Most modern digital thermometers are electric thermometers.
• Electronic Thermometer: A near-synonym often used interchangeably with "electric thermometer," emphasizing the use of electronic circuits to process the signal.
• Thermocouple (n): The specific sensor used in one type of electric thermometer.
• RTD (n): Abbreviation for Resistance Temperature Detector, a sensor type for electric thermometers.
• Thermistor (n): A type of temperature-sensitive resistor used in electric thermometers.

Synonyms

• Electronic thermometer: A very close synonym, though "electronic" may emphasize the signal processing circuitry more than the sensing method.
• Digital thermometer (when it has a digital readout): A common specific type.

Related Phrases / Compound Terms

• Infrared thermometer: A different type of non-contact thermometer that detects infrared radiation. It is also electric/electronic but is not typically called an "electric thermometer" in common usage, as that term usually implies a probe that makes contact.
• Temperature probe: The sensing part of an electric thermometer.
• Temperature sensor: A more general term for the component that detects temperature, which is the core of an electric thermometer.

Noun

1. a thermometer that uses thermoelectric current to measure temperature