any acoustic, optical, or microwave instrument that uses interference patterns or fringes to make accurate measurements of wavelength, wave velocity, distance, etc
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
in•ter•fer•om•e•ter
(in′tər fə rom′i tər),USA pronunciation n.
in•ter•fer•o•met•ric
(in′tər fēr′ə me′trik),USA pronunciation adj.
in′ter•fer′o•met′ri•cal•ly, adv.
in′ter•fer•om′e•try, n.
- Opticsa device that separates a beam of light into two ray beams, usually by means of reflection, and that brings the rays together to produce interference, used to measure wavelength, index of refraction, and astronomical distances.
- Astronomyan instrument for measuring the angular separation of double stars or the diameter of giant stars by means of the interference phenomena of light emitted by these stars.
- 1895–1900; interfere + -o- + -meter
in′ter•fer•om′e•try, n.
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'interferometer' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):