Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Definition of periscope - 3 dictionary results

per⋅i⋅scope

[per-uh-skohp]
–noun
1. an optical instrument for viewing objects that are above the level of direct sight or in an otherwise obstructed field of vision, consisting essentially of a tube with an arrangement of prisms or mirrors and, usually, lenses: used esp. in submarines.
2. a periscopic lens.

Origin:
1815–25; back formation from periscopic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To periscope
per·i·scope   (pěr'ĭ-skōp')   
n.  Any of various tubular optical instruments that contain reflecting elements, such as mirrors and prisms, to permit observation from a position displaced from a direct line of sight.
per'i·scop'ic (-skŏp'ĭk), per'i·scop'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

periscope 
1899, formed in Eng. from peri- "around" + -scope "instrument for viewing." Earlier (1865) a technical term in photography.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see periscope on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: