telescope

[ tel-uh-skohp ]

noun

1. an optical instrument for making distant objects appear larger and therefore nearer. One of the two principal forms refracting telescope, or refractor consists essentially of an objective lens set into one end of a tube and an adjustable eyepiece or combination of lenses set into the other end of a tube that slides into the first and through which the enlarged object is viewed directly; the other form reflecting telescope, or reflector has a concave mirror that gathers light from the object and focuses it into an adjustable eyepiece or combination of lenses through which the reflection of the object is enlarged and viewed. Compare radio telescope.
2. Telescope, Astronomy. the constellation Telescopium.

adjective

1. consisting of parts that fit and slide one within another.

verb (used with object)

, tel·e·scoped, tel·e·scop·ing.

1. to force together, one into another, or force into something else, in the manner of the sliding tubes of a jointed telescope.
2. to shorten or condense; compress:

   to telescope the events of five hundred years into one history lecture.

verb (used without object)

, tel·e·scoped, tel·e·scop·ing.

1. to slide together, or into something else, in the manner of the tubes of a jointed telescope.
2. to be driven one into another, as railroad cars in a collision.
3. to be or become shortened or condensed.

telescope

/ ˈtɛlɪˌskəʊp /

noun

1. an optical instrument for making distant objects appear larger and brighter by use of a combination of lenses (refracting telescope) or lenses and curved mirrors (reflecting telescope) See also terrestrial telescope astronomical telescope Cassegrain telescope Galilean telescope Newtonian telescope
2. any instrument, such as a radio telescope, for collecting, focusing, and detecting electromagnetic radiation from space

verb

1. to crush together or be crushed together, as in a collision

   the front of the car was telescoped by the impact

2. to fit together like a set of cylinders that slide into one another, thus allowing extension and shortening
3. to make or become smaller or shorter

   the novel was telescoped into a short play

telescope

/ tĕl′ĭ-skōp′ /

1. An arrangement of lenses, mirrors, or both that collects visible light, allowing direct observation or photographic recording of distant objects.
2. ◆ A refracting telescope uses lenses to focus light to produce a magnified image. Compound lenses are used to avoid distortions such as spherical and chromatic aberrations.
3. ◆ A reflecting telescope uses mirrors to view celestial objects at high levels of magnification. Most large optical telescopes are reflecting telescopes because very large mirrors, which are necessary to maximize the amount of light received by the telescope, are easier to build than very large lenses.
4. Any of various devices, such as a radio telescope, used to detect and observe distant objects by collecting radiation other than visible light.

telescope

1. A device used by astronomers to magnify images or collect more light from distant objects by gathering and concentrating radiation . The most familiar kind of telescope is the optical telescope, which collects radiation in the form of visible light. It may work by reflection , with a bowl-shaped mirror at its base, or by refraction , with a system of lens es. Other kinds of telescopes collect other kinds of radiation; there are radio telescopes (which collect radio waves ), x-ray telescopes, and infrared telescopes. Radio and optical telescopes may be situated on the Earth , since the Earth's atmosphere allows light and radio waves through but absorbs radiation from several other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum . X-ray telescopes are placed in space.

Other Words From

• non·tele·scoping adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of telescope¹

First recorded in 1610–20; tele- ¹ + -scope; replacing telescopium (from New Latin ) and telescopio (from Italian ); -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of telescope¹

C17: from Italian telescopio or New Latin telescopium, literally: far-seeing instrument; see tele- , -scope

Example Sentences

“I saw a person cycling,” says one girl peering through a telescope.

From BBC

As satellites whiz past the field of view of telescopes, they leave streaks in the astronomers’ images.

From Los Angeles Times

Pull back the telescope, and you can see how two moons wreak havoc on the political tides.

From Los Angeles Times

You won't need binoculars or a telescope as the shower will be visible to the naked eye.

From BBC

It's important to understand that what we do in my business is we look at the world, as it were, through the Russian end of the telescope.

From Salon

Related Words

• abbreviate
• constrict
• cram
• restrict
• shorten
• shrink
• squeeze
• wrap