camera

US /ˈkæm.ə.ɹə/ UK /ˈkæm.ə.ɹə/ See IPA manual

Freq #948

Meanings

1

noun
A device for taking photographs or recording video.

I always have my camera with me when I travel.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms cameraecameras

Derived forms aerocameracambackcamcordercamera-readycamera-shycamera-workercameralesscameralikecameramancamerapersoncameraphonecameratic

Related forms ante-cameraanti-cameracameralcamerate

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

camera tripod
a three-legged stand used to keep a camera steady

Noun + noun
miniature camera
a camera built much smaller than an ordinary one

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

The camera doesn't lie

Simplified etymology

Camera was borrowed from Latin camera, “vault” or “chamber,” and initially denoted a council, department, or legislative chamber in Italy and Spain. Its photographic sense developed from camera obscura, literally “dark chamber,” and the modern meaning is first recorded in the 1840s.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin camera (“chamber or bedchamber”), from Ancient Greek καμάρα (kamára, “anything with an arched cover, a covered carriage or boat, a vaulted chamber, a vault”), of Old Iranian origin, from Proto-Iranian *kamarā- (“something curved”), from *kamárati, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kmárati, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- (“to bend, curve”). Doublet of chamber. (device): A clipping of camera obscura, from New Latin camera obscura (“dark chamber”), because the first cameras used a pinhole and a dark room.

*kh₂em- Proto-Indo-European camera Latin καμάρα Ancient Greek *kamarā- ira-pro *kmárati iir-pro camera obscura la-new

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Photography & Images Film & Television Tools, Machines & Construction

External links

# camera

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkæm.ə.ɹə/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkæm.ə.ɹə/
**Frequency rank:** 948

## Meanings
1. A device for taking photographs or recording video.

## Examples
- I always have my camera with me when I travel.

## Derived Forms
- aerocamera
- camback
- camcorder
- camera-ready
- camera-shy
- camera-worker
- cameraless
- cameralike
- cameraman
- cameraperson
- cameraphone
- cameratic

## Related Forms
- ante-camera
- anti-camera
- cameral
- camerate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *kh₂em-
- Root: camera
- Root: καμάρα
- Root: *kamarā-
- Root: *kmárati
- Root: camera obscura

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin camera (“chamber or bedchamber”), from Ancient Greek καμάρα (kamára, “anything with an arched cover, a covered carriage or boat, a vaulted chamber, a vault”), of Old Iranian origin, from Proto-Iranian *kamarā- (“something curved”), from *kamárati, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kmárati, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- (“to bend, curve”). Doublet of chamber. (device): A clipping of camera obscura, from New Latin camera obscura (“dark chamber”), because the first cameras used a pinhole and a dark room.

## AI Etymology
Camera is a learned borrowing from Latin camera (“chamber or bedchamber”), from Ancient Greek καμάρα (kamára, “anything with an arched cover, a covered carriage or boat, a vaulted chamber, a vault”), of Old Iranian origin, from Proto-Iranian *kamarā- (“something curved”), from *kamárati, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kmárati, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- (“to bend, curve”). Doublet of chamber. (device): A clipping of camera obscura, from New Latin camera obscura (“dark chamber”), because the first cameras used a pinhole and a dark room.

## Topics
- Photography & Images
- Film & Television
- Tools, Machines & Construction

markdown