Leonardo da Vinci studied an anemometer for measuring the speed of wind.
An anemometer is an instrument that measures wind speed. Leonardo’s design used a hinged plate that would rise or move in response to the force of the wind. A graduated scale could then indicate the wind’s strength, allowing observations to be compared rather than described only with words such as “strong” or “weak.”
The instrument appeared in Leonardo’s investigations of air and flight. He needed to understand wind conditions when studying birds, wings, gliding, and possible flying machines. His approach connected observation of nature with mechanical measurement, a characteristic feature of his notebooks.
Leonardo did not invent every later form of anemometer. Modern instruments commonly use rotating cups, propellers, or electronic sensors, whereas his design relied on wind pressure acting on a surface. The important identification is therefore the instrument’s function: measuring wind speed, not air temperature or atmospheric pressure.