from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
noun An instrument consisting of two hinged legs, used to measure thickness and distances.
noun A large instrument having a fixed and a movable arm on a graduated stock, used for measuring the diameters of logs and similar objects.
noun A vernier caliper.
noun The assembly housing the brake pads in a disc brake.
noun The assembly in certain bicycle brakes that forces the brake pads against the wheel rim.
from The Century Dictionary.
To ascertain the diameter of (any cylindrical body) by means of calipers, or by a star-gage: as, to culiper a gun.
noun In forestry, an instrument for measuring the diameter of trees or logs.
noun An instrument for measuring diameters; a caliber: commonly in the plural.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
noun Uncommon variant of calipers.
noun automotive The part of a disc brake that holds the brake pads.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
noun an instrument for measuring the distance between two points (often used in the plural)
verb measure the diameter of something with calipers
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Alteration of caliber.]
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Examples
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.
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).
reesetee commented on the word caliper
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).
November 6, 2007