"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit) 01/07/2014 at 20:24 • Filed to: None

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Why is an odometer and "odo" meter? It doesn't measure "odo's". A speedometer measures SPEED. Damn thing should be called a mileometer.

ttyymmnn > Takuro Spirit 01/07/2014 at 20:27

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1791, from French odomčtre (1724), from Greek hodos "way" + - meter . First recorded in writings of Thomas Jefferson. ( etymonline )

davedave1111 > Takuro Spirit 01/07/2014 at 20:28

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Odo- is Greek for path. Why do we call a speedometer that when it doesn't measure speedo?

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Takuro Spirit 01/07/2014 at 20:28

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An odometer technically just measures the distance traveled.

davedave1111 > Takuro Spirit 01/07/2014 at 20:30

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Also, we can't call it a mileometer - or even milometer - because in Metric countries they'd have to call it a kilometreometer.

Flat Six > Takuro Spirit 01/07/2014 at 20:30

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Textured Soy Protein > Takuro Spirit 01/07/2014 at 20:39

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In metric countries it would be a kilometermeter.

Takuro Spirit > Flat Six 01/07/2014 at 20:46

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ddavidn > davedave1111 01/07/2014 at 20:53

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came here to say this...

thebigbossyboss > Textured Soy Protein 01/09/2014 at 11:20

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I will now start calling odometers this.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > Takuro Spirit 01/10/2014 at 04:14

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Blame it on the ancient greeks:

An odometer or odograph [1] [2] is an instrument that indicates distance traveled by a vehicle, such as a bicycle or automobile. The device may be electronic, mechanical, or a combination of the two. The word derives from the Greek words hodós ("path" or "gateway") and métron ("measure").

Even the Romans used mechanical devices to measure overal distance.