Leonardo da Vinci designed an anemometer, an instrument for measuring wind speed.
His design used a lightweight plate that moved in response to wind. A graduated scale could indicate how far the plate was displaced, allowing the observer to estimate the strength of the airflow. Leonardo was interested in wind because it affected flight, weather, and the operation of mechanical devices.
The instrument is often described as an early form of anemometer, although it was not a modern cup or propeller anemometer. Leonardo’s version measured wind force indirectly through movement rather than recording speed with electronic sensors or calibrated rotating cups.
The name anemometer comes from Aeolus, the mythological Greek ruler of the winds. Leonardo’s work belongs to a long history of attempts to quantify air movement. His design is significant because it treats wind as a measurable physical phenomenon rather than only a qualitative experience.