The metric unit of current is an Ampere, commonly abbreviated as an Amp.
Why then do we call the device that measure this an "Ammeter"? I can find no other reason than elision. But why actually make the official, written word drop it too. After all, we keep the second 'e' in speedometer (call it a "speed-o-meter" I instruct my students, not a "spedohmeter", I have yet to make a dent in public pronunciation despite 22 years of effort).
After complaining to my class about this, a few students grumbled that they would prefer the voltmeter to be called a 'volmeter' to even up matters.
I wondered if a more regulated language like French falls into this sloppiness. Unsurprisingly, the official French word is the whole thing:
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