hourglass

• Instrument de mesure du temps composé de deux ampoules de verre reliées par un col étroit, contenant du sable qui s'écoule de l'ampoule supérieure vers l'inférieure en une durée fixe, généralement une heure.

A device consisting of two glass bulbs connected by a narrow neck, containing sand that flows from the upper to the lower bulb in a fixed period, typically one hour, used to measure time.

1. Timekeeping deviceB1formal

   A device consisting of two glass bulbs connected by a narrow neck, used to measure a specific amount of time, typically one hour, by the flow of sand from the upper to the lower bulb.

   sablier

   • The old hourglass on the shelf still measures exactly sixty minutes.
   • She turned the hourglass over to start timing the game.
   • The sand in the hourglass slowly trickled down, marking the passage of an hour.

   Synonymessandglass