Definition

Noun: - A device or meter that measures and displays the distance traveled by a vehicle, typically in miles or kilometers; an odometer.

Usage

The word "hodometer" is a technical term, largely synonymous with the more common word "odometer." It is used to refer to the instrument in a vehicle that records the total distance the vehicle has traveled.

Examples

• The car's hodometer showed that it had traveled over 200,000 miles.
• Before buying the used truck, he checked the hodometer reading to assess its wear and tear.
• Early hodometers were mechanical devices attached to a wheel.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The term "hodometer" (from Greek "way" + "measure") is an older term. In modern English, "odometer" is the standard and far more prevalent term for this device.
• Technical/Scientific Writing: "Hodometer" might occasionally appear in historical texts, technical manuals, or academic writing discussing the history of measurement.

Variants and Related Words

• Odometer (n): The standard modern term for a distance-measuring device in a vehicle.
• Mileometer/Milometer (n): A variant, chiefly British English, emphasizing measurement in miles.
• Trip meter (n): A secondary meter in a vehicle that can be reset to measure the distance of individual journeys.
• Speedometer (n): An instrument that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a vehicle (related but distinct from a hodometer, which measures distance).

Synonyms

• Odometer
• Mileometer
• Distance meter

Notes on Meaning

"Hodometer" has a single, specific meaning: an instrument for measuring distance traveled. It does not have different meanings in common usage. The device it refers to is purely mechanical/digital and quantifiable, with no idiomatic or figurative uses.

Noun

1. a meter that shows mileage traversed