Definition

1. Noun:
   • A mercury thermometer is a temperature-measuring device. It consists of a glass tube with a small, sealed bulb at one end. The bulb and part of the tube are filled with the liquid metal mercury. The tube has a scale marked in degrees (such as Celsius or Fahrenheit). When the temperature rises, the mercury expands and moves up the narrow tube, indicating the temperature on the scale.

Usage

• Noun:
  • The doctor used a mercury thermometer to check my fever.
  • For many years, the mercury thermometer was the standard tool for measuring temperature in homes and laboratories.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: While once ubiquitous, are being phased out in many settings due to the environmental and health hazards posed by mercury, a toxic substance, if the thermometer breaks.
  • Many schools have replaced mercury thermometers with digital ones for safety.

Variants and Related Words

• Clinical thermometer: A type of specifically designed for measuring human body temperature, often with a constriction in the tube to keep the reading in place.
• Laboratory thermometer: A with a wider temperature range, used for scientific experiments.
• Mercury-in-glass thermometer: A more technical term for a .

Synonyms

• Liquid-in-glass thermometer (this is a broader category; mercury is one type of liquid used).

Notes

• The term "mercury thermometer" specifically refers to the device that uses mercury. It is a compound noun. Other types of thermometers (e.g., digital, alcohol) are not called .

Noun

1. thermometer consisting of mercury contained in a bulb at the bottom of a graduated sealed glass capillary tube marked in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit; mercury expands with a rise in temperature causing a thin thread of mercury to rise in the tube