Pronunciation: ' p ē - ˌ t ō -
Function: noun
Usage: often cap P
Etymology: French ( tube de ) Pitot, from Henri Pitot † 1771 French physicist
Date: circa 1859
1 : a device that consists of a tube having a short right-angled bend which is placed vertically in a moving body of fluid (as air) with the mouth of the bent part directed upstream and that is used with a manometer to measure the velocity of fluid flow
2 : PITOT-STATIC TUBE