WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
di•op•ter
(dī op′tər),USA pronunciation n.
di•op′tral, adj.
- Opticsa unit of measure of the refractive power of a lens, having the dimension of the reciprocal of length and a unit equal to the reciprocal of one meter. Abbr.: D
- Antiquityan instrument, invented by Hipparchus, to measure the apparent diameter of the sun or moon or to estimate the size or elevation of distant objects.
- Greek: instrument for measuring height or levels, equivalent. to di- di-3 + op- (for ópsesthai to see) + -tra noun, nominal suffix of means
- Latin dioptra
- 1585–95
'diopter' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):