reseau

or ré·seau

[ rey-zoh, ruh- ]

noun

, plural re·seaux [rey-, zohz, -, zoh, r, uh, -], re·seaus.

1. a network.
2. a netted or meshed ground in lace.
3. Astronomy. a network of fine lines on a glass plate, used in a photographic telescope to produce a corresponding network on photographs of the stars.
4. Meteorology. a system of weather stations under the direction of a single agency or cooperating for common goals.
5. Photography. a screen having minute colored filters, used in some forms of color photography.

reseau

/ ˈrɛzəʊ /

noun

1. a mesh background to a lace or other pattern
2. astronomy a network of fine lines cut into a glass plate used as a reference grid on star photographs
3. photog a screen covered in a regular pattern of minute coloured dots or lines, formerly used in colour photography

Word History and Origins

Origin of reseau¹

1570–80; < French réseau, Old French resel, diminutive of rais net < Vulgar Latin *rētis (singular) or *rētēs (plural), for Latin rēte

Word History and Origins

Origin of reseau¹

C19: from French, from Old French resel a little net, from rais net, from Latin rēte

Example Sentences

The grid of small dots are 'reseaux', markings on the actual camera optics used to help correct for geometric distortions in the images.

From Scientific American

The special value of the "vrai reseau" in our own day is that it can be imperceptibly repaired, the broken stitches replaced, whereas in the woven ground the point of junction must show.

From Project Gutenberg