camera lucida

American  

[loo-si-duh] / ˈlu sɪ də /

noun

1. an optical instrument, often attached to the eyepiece of a microscope, by which the image of an external object is projected on a sheet of paper or the like for tracing.

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camera lucida British  

/ ˈluːsɪdə /

noun

1. an instrument attached to a microscope, etc to enable an observer to view simultaneously the image and a drawing surface to facilitate the sketching of the image

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Etymology

Origin of camera lucida

1660–70; < New Latin: bright chamber; camera ¹, lucid

Example Sentences

The visual trick may have been created by the artist’s use of a common optical viewing aid called a camera lucida.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2025

Precisely ground, the mirrors were able to start fires and project images onto flat surfaces, camera lucida fashion.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

To which in 1901 he added this note: “What a lot of time I wasted over that camera lucida, to be sure!”

From The Samuel Butler Collection at Saint John's College Cambridge by Bartholomew, A. T.

The image formed on the paper may be traced out by a pencil, and it will be noticed that in this case the image is real—not virtual as in the case of the camera lucida.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1 "Calhoun" to "Camoens" by Various

All that is needed is what is known as a camera lucida.

From The Story of the Cotton Plant by Wilkinson, Frederick