Dictionary term
Clepsydra
Direct answer
Clepsydra is a device that measures time through the controlled flow of water into or out of a vessel.
Clepsydra is a water-flow timekeeper used in historical astronomy, timekeeping, or navigation.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Also appears in
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-16
Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Clepsydra by reading the scale or mechanism while accounting for head pressure, temperature, and flow consistency.
- Do not use it for
- Flow is not automatically uniform, so a simple vessel should not be assumed to measure equal hours accurately.
- Reference category
- Historical Almanacs & Instruments
- Related terms
- Regulator Clock, Pendulum Clock, Water Clock, Hourglass
The story behind Clepsydra
Water clocks appeared in several ancient cultures and supported civic, ritual, and observational timing.
Clepsydra in spiritual tradition
Clepsydra rewards careful observation, explicit assumptions, and humility about the limits of every model or measurement.
The Great Almanac frames Clepsydra with educational restraint. Mystical or symbolic language may be meaningful, but it should not be exaggerated into certainty, panic, or permission to ignore ordinary responsibility.
Clepsydra in the Bible
This is a factual history-of-science, instrument, timekeeping, or navigation reference. It may support wonder and disciplined attention without becoming a claim of fate, worship, or private revelation.
Clepsydra in numerology
Clepsydra is not a numerology claim. Any numbers attached to it should retain their ordinary scientific, calendrical, navigational, or historical meaning unless a separate symbolic interpretation is clearly labeled.
Why Clepsydra matters
Clepsydra matters because it allowed timed intervals without relying on direct sunlight.
Example in a reading: An observer can time an interval by the change in water level between marked graduations.
Interpretive caution: Flow is not automatically uniform, so a simple vessel should not be assumed to measure equal hours accurately.
How Clepsydra is used in a reading
Use Clepsydra by reading the scale or mechanism while accounting for head pressure, temperature, and flow consistency.
Where interpretation stops
Clepsydra is presented as sourced astronomy, calendrical, Earth-science, cultural, or instrument-history reference. Definitions should distinguish measured phenomena from civil convention and historical interpretation, preserve location and time dependencies, and avoid turning factual sky data into a deterministic personal claim.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- Royal Museums Greenwich: A Unique History of Timekeeping - Museum overview of marine chronometers, astronomical regulators, and the development of precision timekeeping.
The page starts with a direct definition, then separates use, example, caution, spiritual meaning, and historical context. For astrology, occult, demonology, curse, and spiritual warfare terms, the editorial rule is to explain the term without making fear-based, fatalistic, medical, legal, financial, or ritual-instruction claims.
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These related entries help place Clepsydra inside a wider reference cluster instead of leaving it as a standalone keyword.
