Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An instrument consisting essentially of two curved hinged legs, used to measure thickness and distances. Often used in the plural.
- n. A large instrument having a fixed and a movable arm on a graduated stock, used for measuring the diameters of logs and similar objects.
- n. A vernier caliper.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An instrument for measuring diameters; a caliber: commonly in the plural. The term caliper or calipers is used generally to denote an instrument for measuring the exterior diameter of any cylindrical body, and star-gage or inside calipers for an instrument used for obtaining the interior diameter of the bore of a gun, casing, or jacket.
- To ascertain the diameter of (any cylindrical body) by means of calipers, or by a star-gage: as, to culiper a gun.
- n. In forestry, an instrument for measuring the diameter of trees or logs. It usually consists of a graduated beam to which are attached one fixed and one sliding arm.
Wiktionary
- n. Uncommon variant of calipers.
- n. automotive The part of a disc brake that holds the brake pads.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an instrument for measuring the distance between two points (often used in the plural)
- v. measure the diameter of something with calipers
Etymologies
- Alteration of caliber. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Carefully remove the caliper from the rotor and hold it in your hand.”
“Step 5: Now that the brake caliper is removed, unscrew the debris covers, which are over the bolts that secure the brake pads to the caliper, with a flathead screwdriver.”
“Using stolen alien technology passed down to Fenris by a 12th degree Masonic Knight, this caliper is used to ensure that our artillery cannons are crafted to the highest specifications.”
“Properly called caliper disc brakes: a type of brake that consists of a disc that rotates at wheel speed, straddled by a caliper that can squeeze the surfaces of the disc near its periphery.”
Automotive News Blog at CARandDRIVER.com - Car News Resource
“The caliper is a two-piece clamshell of forged magnesium.”
“Maybe on the hand ala X-man Wolverine or on the back of the jersey, using bluetooth to activate the caliper which is powered by...”
“FYI, "caliper" is a measuring tool, usually in the plural -- calipers, like scissors.”
“The 36 isn't new - it appeared in 2008 - but the "caliper" system is quite interesting.”
“Then pry the brake pads back (open the caliper up) and pump the brake lever one more time, being sure to hold the lever in.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘caliper’.
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SCIE - EU nomenclature
All the scientific words found in the official EU nomenclature. For the screening I used Vocabgrabber of the Visual Thesaurus.
abdominal, absorbent, accelerator, accumulator, acebutolol, acetamide, acetanilide, acetate, acetic acid, acetone, acetous, acetyl and 1171 more...
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TECH - tools
A very wide category. There are possibly tens of thousands tool words in each of the world's languages.
broom, brush, feather duster, floor buffer, hataki, mop, mop bucket cart, needlegun scaler, pipe cleaner, pressure washer, sandblaster, sponge and 286 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
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CycList
Anything related to cycling; no motorcycling, please.
frame, pedal, crank arm, top tube, down tube, seat tube, seat stay, chain stay, saddle, fork, hub, rim and 97 more...
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Words that sound nice
I can't say exactly what makes these words sound so harmonious...the finely balanced distribution of consonants and vowels? the lack of harsh sounds? the regal elegance of Latin roots? anyway...
felicity, luminous, caliper, amatory, valedictorian, sanatorium, nice, chrysalis, luminosity, luminescence, senescence, evanescence and 6 more...
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measure for measure
Things that can be used to measure other things.
osmometer, thermometer, spectrometer, ruler, rain gauge, ph meter, spectrophotometer, odometer, tachometer, compass, brannock device, tape measure and 51 more...
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heart of darkness
yawl, sea-reach, offing, barge, sprit, estuary, yarn, aft, mizzenmast, placid, gauzy, diaphanous and 141 more...
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Flanges &c
Amusingly-named mechanical and electrical parts to be found in a particular warehouse in Newfoundland
nut, relief valve, cotter, shaft, bushing (inner bo..., sleeve, bushing (link), thrust washer, slip yoke, bushing (swing post), half pump coupling, main teledyne spool and 344 more...
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Red Seas Under Red Skies
Words and phrase from Scott Lynch's book, Red Seas Under Red Skies.
legate, pugnacity, weevil, steady as a dry-d..., chit, sans, apprise, forfend, ken, expatriate, enclave, scrubs and 220 more...
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The Measure of Man
Unusual, arcane, or obscure units of measure
cable, cabot, bushel, cade, caliper, callipic cycle, metonic cycle, cunit, air watt, ale gallon, allergy unit, amber and 228 more...
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Thunderfoot's Words
lugubrious, salacious, vituperative, foist, foment, embolism, stygian, mellifluous, bildungsroman, shirk, crone, elide and 173 more...
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words to learn
savvy, clunky, recourse, lenity, caliper, clamp, transmutability, incapacitate, unprecedented, digitate, abatement, emolument and 12 more...
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myroblyte's Words
myroblyte, cephalophore, reliquary, pyx, ganache, lord, quill, gallant, quixotic, finial, macaronic, hang fire and 73 more...
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Tool's name
name for the common used tools
wrench, hole punch, screwer driver, wrech, crescent wrench, slip pliers, socket, chet, wratchet, chuck drill, caliper, torx and 2 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for caliper.
reesetee The thickness of a sheet of paper or card stock. Traditionally measured in points (thousandths of an inch), caliper is now measured in microns (micrometers). Nov 6, 2007