A colloquial short form for 'Tachometer'. It is a measuring device in a vehicle that shows the current speed being driven.
example
Er schaute auf den Tacho und bemerkte, dass er zu schnell fuhr.
He looked at the speedometer and noticed that he was driving too fast.
Usage tips
Word structure
'Tacho' is the colloquial short form of the technical term 'Tachometer' (speedometer). The full word comes from Greek: 'táchos' means speed and 'métron' means measure.
EXAMPLE
In der Werkstatt wurde der Tachometer überprüft.
The speedometer was checked at the repair shop.
Register
In everyday language, especially when driving, people almost exclusively say 'Tacho'. The word 'Tachometer' is more likely to be found in technical descriptions, manuals, or more formal contexts.
EXAMPLE
Fahr bitte langsamer, der Tacho zeigt schon 140!
Please drive slower, the speedometer is already showing 140!
Typical collocations
Typical driving-related phrases are 'auf den Tacho schauen' (to look at the speedometer), 'der Tacho zeigt ... km/h' (the speedometer shows ... km/h), or giving a speed 'laut Tacho' (according to the speedometer).
EXAMPLE
Ich war laut Tacho genau 50 km/h schnell.
According to the speedometer, I was going exactly 50 km/h.