telescope

See also: télescope and télescopé

English

An optical telescope.
Telescope render

Etymology

tele- + -scope. From Latin tēlescopium, from Ancient Greek τηλεσκόπος (tēleskópos, far-seeing), from τῆλε (têle, afar) + σκοπέω (skopéō, I look at).

Coined in 1611 by the Greek mathematician Giovanni Demisiani for one of Galileo Galilei's instruments presented at a banquet at the Accademia dei Lincei. Doublet of Telescopium.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈtɛl.ɪ.skəʊp/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈtɛl.əˌskoʊp/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: tele‧scope

Noun

telescope (plural telescopes)

  1. A monocular optical instrument that magnifies distant objects, especially in astronomy.
  2. Any instrument used in astronomy for observing distant objects (such as a radio telescope).
  3. (television) A retractable tubular support for lights.
    • 1963, Television Engineering: Report, page 245:
      In some studios the telescopes are fixed to the lighting grid []

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

telescope (third-person singular simple present telescopes, present participle telescoping, simple past and past participle telescoped)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To extend or contract in the manner of a telescope.
  2. (transitive, intransitive) To slide or pass one within another, after the manner of the sections of a small telescope or spyglass.
  3. (intransitive) To come into collision, as railway cars, in such a manner that one runs into another.
  4. (transitive, intransitive, mathematics, of a series) To collapse, via cancellation.

See also

References

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