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shutter

 - 4 dictionary results

shut⋅ter

[shuht-er]
–noun
1. a solid or louvered movable cover for a window.
2. a movable cover, slide, etc., for an opening.
3. a person or thing that shuts.
4. Photography. a mechanical device for opening and closing the aperture of a camera lens to expose film or the like.
–verb (used with object)
5. to close or provide with shutters: She shuttered the windows.
6. to close (a store or business operations) for the day or permanently.
–verb (used without object)
7. to close or close down: The factory has shuttered temporarily.

Origin:
1535–45; shut + -er 1


shut⋅ter⋅less, adjective


1. See curtain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To shutter
shut·ter   (shŭt'ər)   
n.  
  1. One that shuts, as:

    1. A hinged cover or screen for a window, usually fitted with louvers.

    2. A mechanical device of a camera that controls the duration of a photographic exposure, as by opening and closing to allow light coming through the lens to expose a plate or film.

  2. shutters Music The movable louvers on a pipe organ, controlled by pedals, that open and close the swell box.

tr.v.   shut·tered, shut·ter·ing, shut·ters
  1. To furnish or close with shutters: locked the doors and shuttered the windows.

  2. To cause to cease operations; close down: shuttered the store for the holiday.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

shutter 
1542, "one who shuts" (see shut); meaning "moveable wooden or iron screen for a window" is from 1683. Photographic sense of "device for opening and closing the aperture of a lens" is from 1862. The verb is recorded from 1826. Shutter-bug "enthusiastic amateur photographer" is from 1940.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

shutter

in photography, device by which the lens aperture of a camera is opened to admit light and thus expose the film. Adjustable shutters control exposure time, or the length of time during which light is admitted. Optimum exposure time varies according to lighting conditions, movement of subject, and other factors and may be either selected in advance by the photographer or, in the case of automatic cameras, set by the camera itself on a signal from a built-in exposure-metering system. The mechanical shutter can usually be set only for indicated speeds throughout its range; some electronic shutters have a continuous operating range

Learn more about shutter with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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