calibrate

UK/ˈkæl.ɪ.bɹeɪ̯t/US/ˈkæl.ɪ.bɹeɪ̯t/

verbC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,442 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: calibrated, calibrating, calibrates

To calibrate is to set an instrument so its readings are true. Calibrate the scales, recently calibrated, calibrate against a standard.

It always means comparing against a known standard, and every standard is traceable up a chain to a national one — that chain is the whole point. An instrument that is precise but not calibrated gives you the same wrong answer every time.

Definitions of calibrate

1verbcalibrateTo set an instrument so its readings are true.C1
“The scales must be calibrated regularly so that they weigh accurately.”

calibrate is an adjusting.

Where it comes from

From caliber + -ate.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Repair & Damage

Practise this word

calibrate in the wild

A primary standard in metrology is a standard that is sufficiently accurate such that it is not calibrated by or subordinate to other standards.
Primary standard
Primary standards are used to calibrate other standards referred to as working standards.
Primary standard
Scale test cars are of a precisely known weight so that the track scale can be calibrated against them.
Scale test car
A pulse-height analyzer is also integrated into particle counters or used as a discrete module to calibrate particle counters.
Pulse-height analyzer
The zero point is used to calibrate a system to the standard magnitude system, as the flux detected from stars will vary from detector to detector.
Zero point (photometry)

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

calibration

← Vocabulary