Definition

Noun: 1. A timing device consisting of two glass bulbs connected by a narrow neck, containing a quantity of sand (or another fine material) that flows from the upper bulb to the lower bulb in a fixed period, traditionally one hour. It is used to measure the passage of time.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The chess players used an hourglass to limit each move.
  • In the old laboratory, an hourglass sat on the shelf next to the brass scales.
  • The concept of an hourglass figure describes a body shape that is wide at the shoulders and hips but narrow at the waist.

Advanced Usage

• "The sands of the hourglass are running out": An idiom meaning that time for something is nearly finished.
  • We need to make a decision now; the sands of the hourglass are running out.

Variants and Related Words

• Sandglass (n): A more general term for any timing device using sand, which may measure periods other than an hour (e.g., a three-minute sandglass).
• Hourglass figure (n): A common phrase describing a specific body shape, metaphorically derived from the object's form.

Synonyms

• Sand timer: A modern, more general synonym.
• Sand clock: An archaic or alternative term.

Related Idioms

• "To turn the hourglass": To start a period of time over again; to reset a process.
  • With the new agreement, it felt like they had turned the hourglass and were starting fresh.

Noun

1. a sandglass that runs for sixty minutes