Any of various instruments used for measuring angles of slope, elevation, or inclination (esp. the dip of a geologic stratum or the slope of an embankment); e.g., a simple handheld device consisting of a tube with a cross hair, a graduated vertical arc, and an attached spirit level so mounted that the inclination of the line of sight can be read on the circular scale by centering the level bubble at the instant of observation. A clinometer is usually combined with a compass (e.g., the Brunton compass).