Hourglass

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Hourglass \Hour"glass`\, n.
     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.


     [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  hourglass
       n : a sandglass that runs for sixty minutes

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  39 Moby Thesaurus words for "hourglass":
     abbreviation, astriction, astringency, bottleneck, cervix,
     circumscription, coarctation, compactedness, compaction,
     compression, compressure, concentration, condensation,
     consolidation, constriction, constringency, contraction,
     contracture, curtailment, decrease, diminuendo, hourglass figure,
     isthmus, knitting, narrow place, narrowing, neck, puckering,
     pursing, reduction, shortening, solidification, stranglement,
     strangulation, striction, stricture, systole, wasp waist,
     wrinkling