vernier

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ver·nier / ˈvərnēər/ • n. a small movable graduated scale for obtaining fractional parts of subdivisions on a fixed main scale of a barometer, sextant, or other measuring instrument.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

vernier

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vernier movable scale for taking minute measurements. XVIII. — F., f. name of Paul Vernier (1580–1637), F. mathematician, who described it in ‘Quadrant nouveau de mathématiques’ (1631).

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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