HOURGLASS

hourglass

(noun) a sandglass that runs for sixty minutes

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

hourglass (plural hourglasses)

A clock made of two glass vessels connected by a narrow passage through which sand flows.

(GUI) A pointer, often shaped like an hourglass, indicating that the computer is busy.

Synonyms

• sandglass

Hyponyms

• egg timer, egg-timer

Source: Wiktionary


Hour"glass`, n.

Definition: An instrument for measuring time, especially the interval of an hour. It consists of a glass vessel having two compartments, from the uppermost of which a quantity of sand, water, or mercury occupies an hour in running through a small aperture unto the lower.

Note: A similar instrument measuring any other interval of time takes its name from the interval measured; as, a half-hour glass, a half- minute glass. A three-minute glass is sometimes called an egg-glass, from being used to time the boiling of eggs.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

3 May 2025

DESIRABLE

(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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