metronome

/ˌmɛtrəˈnoʊm/

/ˈmɛtrənəʊm/

Other forms: metronomes

Remember that little pyramid-shaped machine with the pendulum that clicked so agonizingly during your early piano lessons? Well, that was a metronome, a device that helps musicians keep to the tempo of the music.

The metronome was invented in 1815 by a German engineer called Johann Maelzel, who was good friends with Beethoven. They even performed together, with Maelzel giving demonstrations of his device in the intervals. The metronome has come in for some criticism, but if it was good enough for Beethoven, it's probably good enough for you. The name comes from the Greek words metron for "measure," and nomus for "regulating."

Definitions of metronome

1. noun

   clicking pendulum indicates the exact tempo of a piece of music
   type of:

   pendulum

   an apparatus consisting of an object mounted so that it swings freely under the influence of gravity