pantograph

[ pan-tuh-graf, -grahf ]

noun

1. Also pan·ta·graph. an instrument for the mechanical copying of plans, diagrams, etc., on any desired scale.
2. Electricity. a device usually consisting of two parallel, hinged, double-diamond frames, for transferring current from an overhead wire to a vehicle, as a trolley car or electric locomotive.

pantograph

/ pænˈtɒɡrəfə; ˌpæntəˈɡræfɪk; ˈpæntəˌɡrɑːf /

noun

1. an instrument consisting of pivoted levers for copying drawings, maps, etc, to any desired scale
2. a sliding type of current collector, esp a diamond-shaped frame mounted on a train roof in contact with an overhead wire
3. a device consisting of a parallelogram of jointed rods used to suspend a studio lamp so that its height can be adjusted

Derived Forms

• panˈtography, noun
• pantographic, adjective
• pantographer, noun
• ˌpantoˈgraphically, adverb

Other Words From

• pan·tog·ra·pher [pan-, tog, -r, uh, -fer], noun
• pan·to·graph·ic [pan-t, uh, -, graf, -ik], panto·graphi·cal adjective
• panto·graphi·cal·ly adverb
• pan·togra·phy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pantograph¹

First recorded in 1715–25; panto- + -graph

Example Sentences

“The key villain here is the pantograph, which is perched on top of the rail engine, constantly touching the overhead high-tension power line to draw electricity to propel the train,” says Yashwant Gupta, director of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, a division of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, which operates the GMRT.

From Science Magazine

As the pantograph makes and breaks contact with the line, he says, it produces sparks and electromagnetic bursts that can “drown the entire spectrum of faint radio signals the telescope is devoted to study.”

From Science Magazine

Mr. Schmieder was part of a test of a third alternative: a system that feeds electricity to trucks as they drive, using wires strung above the roadway and a pantograph mounted on the cab.

From New York Times

Inside the cab, the transition was barely perceptible as Mr. Schmieder deployed the pantograph that connects to the overhead cables, a so-called catenary system.

From New York Times

Yet these monumental sculptures come together in a markedly different method than those of Rodin and other sculptors circa 1900, who would start with a clay figure and then duplicate it at larger scale by use of a pantograph.

From New York Times