What wind-measuring instrument did Leonardo da Vinci design around 1488?

Leonardo da Vinci designed an anemometer, an instrument for measuring wind speed, around 1488.

His design used a lightweight plate that moved upward or downward according to the force of the wind. A graduated scale beside the plate allowed an observer to estimate wind strength. Leonardo’s aim was not merely to name the wind but to make its force measurable for studies of flight and atmospheric movement.

Anemometers later developed into instruments with rotating cups, propellers, or electronic sensors. The cup anemometer, commonly associated with modern weather stations, measures wind speed by converting rotation into a numerical reading. Leonardo’s plate design worked on a different principle: wind pressure displaced a surface against gravity.

Leonardo’s anemometer is often discussed alongside his studies of birds, air currents, and flying machines. It was a measurement device, not an aircraft component. The word “anemometer” comes from Greek “anemos,” meaning wind.