wijzers

Wijzer is a Dutch noun meaning a pointer or indicator. It is used for elements that point to a value or position on a dial, scale, or display. The plural wijzers can refer to several indicators or pointers at once. In everyday language, the term is often associated with clocks and measuring instruments.

Etymologically, wijzer stems from the verb wijzen, meaning to indicate or point. The concept emphasizes direction or signaling rather than the measuring itself. In technical contexts, wijzer is distinct from naald (needle); a wijzer is the pointer that marks a value on a dial, while naald more commonly denotes a slender needle in instruments like thermometers or compasses.

In horology, wijzers are the hands of a clock or watch, such as the uurwijzer (hour hand) and de minutenwijzer (minute hand). A third wijzer may indicate seconds on some timepieces. These hands rotate around a dial (wijzerplaat) to show the time. In gauges and dashboards, wijzers function as movable pointers that indicate measurements like speed, fuel level, temperature, or pressure. The dial provides the scale, while the wijzer points to the current reading.

Beyond clocks and instruments, wijzers appear in various devices with analog displays, including instrumentation panels, speedometers, and metering devices. The concept remains the same: a wijzer translates a measured value into a visible position for the observer. In modern digital devices, the term is sometimes used metaphorically, but its primary sense remains the physical pointer on an analog readout.