telescope

B2 Topic:Astronomy & Space

US /ˈtɛl.əˌskoʊp/ UK /ˈtɛl.ɪ.skəʊp/ See IPA manual

Freq #8131

Meanings

1

noun
An instrument that makes distant objects look closer and larger, especially stars and planets.

Through the telescope we could clearly see the rings of Saturn.
2

verb
To slide together or become shorter, like the sections of a folding telescope.

The legs of the stand telescope down so it fits in a bag.
3

verb
To make something shorter or combine it into less space or time.

The director telescoped the long novel into a two-hour film.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an instrument that makes... scope

Word family

Forms telescopedtelescopestelescoping

Derived forms telescopic telescopicallytelescopingtelescopy

Related forms binoculars microscope

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

radio telescope
an astronomical instrument that collects radio waves from space

Noun + noun

Etymology

From tele- + -scope. From Latin tēlescopium, from Ancient Greek τηλεσκόπος (tēleskópos, “far-seeing”), from τῆλε (têle, “afar”) + σκοπέω (skopéō, “to look at”). Coined in 1611 by the Greek mathematician Giovanni Demisiani for one of Galileo Galilei's instruments presented at a banquet at the Accademia dei Lincei. Doublet of Telescopium.

tēlescopium Latin τηλεσκόπος Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Astronomy & Space Tools, Machines & Construction

External links

# telescope

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈtɛl.əˌskoʊp/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈtɛl.ɪ.skəʊp/
**Frequency rank:** 8131

## Meanings
1. An instrument that makes distant objects look closer and larger, especially stars and planets.
2. To slide together or become shorter, like the sections of a folding telescope.
3. To make something shorter or combine it into less space or time.

## Examples
- Through the telescope we could clearly see the rings of Saturn.
- The legs of the stand telescope down so it fits in a bag.
- The director telescoped the long novel into a two-hour film.

## Derived Forms
- telescopic
- telescopically
- telescoping
- telescopy

## Related Forms
- binoculars
- microscope

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: tēlescopium
- Root: τηλεσκόπος
- Affix: tele- - far
- Affix: -scope - instrument for viewing

## Etymology
From tele- + -scope. From Latin tēlescopium, from Ancient Greek τηλεσκόπος (tēleskópos, “far-seeing”), from τῆλε (têle, “afar”) + σκοπέω (skopéō, “to look at”). Coined in 1611 by the Greek mathematician Giovanni Demisiani for one of Galileo Galilei's instruments presented at a banquet at the Accademia dei Lincei. Doublet of Telescopium.

## AI Etymology
Telescope is from tele- + -scope. From Latin tēlescopium, from Ancient Greek τηλεσκόπος (tēleskópos, “far-seeing”), from τῆλε (têle, “afar”) + σκοπέω (skopéō, “to look at”). Coined in 1611 by the Greek mathematician Giovanni Demisiani for one of Galileo Galilei's instruments presented at a banquet at the Accademia dei Lincei. Doublet of Telescopium. In present-day use, it can mean an instrument that makes distant objects look closer and larger, especially stars and planets, or to slide together or become shorter, like the sections of a folding telescope.

## Topics
- Astronomy & Space
- Tools, Machines & Construction

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