First Known Use: circa 1859
Dictionary
pitot tube
noun, pi·tot tube often capitalized P \ˈpē-ˌtō-\
Definition of PITOT TUBE
1
: a device that consists of a tube having a short right-angled bend which is placed vertically in a moving body of fluid (as air) with the mouth of the bent part directed upstream and that is used with a manometer to measure the velocity of fluid flow
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Origin of PITOT TUBE
French (tube de) Pitot, from Henri Pitot †1771 French physicist
Medical Dictionary
pitot tube
noun , pi·tot tube often capitalized P \ˌpē-ˌtō-\
Medical Definition of PITOT TUBE
: a device that consists of a tube having a short right-angled bend which is placed vertically in a moving body of fluid with the mouth of the bent part directed upstream and that is used with a manometer to measure the velocity of fluid flow (as in a blood vessel)
Biographical Note for PITOT TUBE
Pi·tot \pē-tō\ Henri (1695–1771), French hydraulic engineer. Pitot began his career in the chemical laboratory at the Academy of Sciences in Paris. During his two decades at the academy he published a number of papers addressing minor questions in astronomy, geometry, and mechanics, especially hydraulics. In 1735 he published a paper announcing his invention of the Pitot tube.
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