An ancient timekeeping device that measures time by the regulated dripping of water from one container to another.
From Greek klepsídra, literally 'water thief' (from kleptein 'to steal' + hydro 'water'). Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used these devices before mechanical clocks; the name refers to how water seems to 'steal away' time.
Clepsydras are the ancestors of every clock and timer—the word literally means 'water thief' because the ancients watched water mysteriously vanish while hours passed, not understanding that gravity was doing the stealing.
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