Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An optical instrument consisting of a small mounted telescope rotatable in horizontal and vertical planes, used to measure angles in surveying, meteorology, and navigation.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A surveying-instrument for measuring horizontal angles upon a graduated circle. It may also be provided with a vertical circle, and if this is not very much smaller than the horizontal circle, the instrument is called an altazimuth. If it is provided with a delicate striding level and is in every way convenient for astronomical work, it is called a universal instrument. A small altazimuth with a concentric magnetic compass is called a surveyors' transit. A theodolite in which the whole instrument, except the feet and their connections, turns relatively to the latter, and can be clamped in different positions, is called a repeating circle. The instrument shown in the figure follows the system of the United States Coast Survey of attaining simplicity of construction by adaptation to a single purpose—in this case to the measurement of horizontal angles only. This instrument is low and consequently very steady. Within the upright pillar is a truncated cone of steel, and upon this and fitting to it turns the hollow brass pillar carrying the telescope and microscopes. Except for an excessively thin layer of oil, the brass movable part bears directly on the steel, and its weight tends to keep it centered. The pressure is relieved by a small plate of some elasticity fastened to the movable part over the axis and adjustable with screws. It is thus made to turn, as nearly as possible, about a mathematical line. This is the conical bearing of Gamhey. The base, which is as low as possible, consists of a round central part, and three arms having screw-feet with binding-screws. A circular guard for the circle (indistinguishable from the latter in the figure) forms a part of the base. The graduated circle is made slightly conical, so that the microscopes may be more convenient. This circle, with its eight radii and interior ring, forms one solid casting, which bears upon the steel axis conically. It is held in place, in imitation of an instrument by Stackpole of New York, by the pressure of a ring above, which can readily be loosened so as to permit the circle to be turned round alone. The telescope is provided with a filar micrometer, with a view of facilitating reiterated pointings—a new principle of much value. The instrument is leveled by means of a striding level. There are four micrometer microscopes (although some geodesists insist upon an odd number), made adjustable so that one division of the circle Shall be very nearly covered by two and a half turns of the micrometer-screw. The illumination for these microscopes is made through their objectives by light brought, according to the plan of Messrs. Brunner, by prisms from a point vertically over the axis, where a horizontal ground glass is hung in the daytime and a lamp with a porcelain shade at night, so that the images of the lines plowed by the graver in the polished surface of the circle shall not be displaced by oblique illumination. The clamp is attached to an arm from a ring about the brass upright, and bears upon the circular guard outside the circle proper. The tangent screw is contrived so as to eliminate dead motion. The arm carrying the clamp is balanced by another bearing a small finding microscope. Theodolites are made upon manifold models; but the one figured in preceding column is a good example of a modern first-class instrument.
Wiktionary
- n. A surveying instrument, consisting of a small mounted telescope, used to measure horizontal and vertical angles.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. An instrument used, especially in trigonometrical surveying, for the accurate measurement of horizontal angles, and also usually of vertical angles. It is variously constructed.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a surveying instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles, consisting of a small telescope mounted on a tripod
Etymologies
- New Latin theodolitus, of unknown origin (Wiktionary)
- New Latin theodolitus, theodelitus. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The spot was actually located and determined by theodolite from the base camp, knowing the height of the mountain.”
“Thus the theodolite was the only instrument retained, and the camera, photographic films (exposed and unexposed), hypsometer, thermometers, rifle, ammunition and other sundries were all thrown away.”
The Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914
“The theodolite was a nine-inch one and weighed many pounds.”
A Labrador Doctor The Autobiography of Wilfred Thomason Grenfell
“On shore, observers will be equipped with binoculars and an instrument called a theodolite, which will allow them to scan the horizon and calculate distance to the whales, and the whales 'latitude and longitude.”
“Employed by the Board of Ordnance, William Roy began mapping the Highlands in 1747, pushing a surveyor's wheel and using a simple kind of theodolite called a circumferentor.”
The Guardian: Map of a Nation: A Biography of the Ordnance Survey by Rachel Hewitt - review
“In post-Culloden Scotland the map-makers had used a small, tripod-mounted telescope or prototype theodolite to measure sight-lines from landmark to landmark.”
“We then used a theodolite to survey the positions of the stake and mark appromiately 100-ft steps back towards the circle.”
“All of these various methods came together in what most of us today think of as the quintessential surveying tool, the theodolite, a single device that allows a surveyor to both take bearings and measure elevations.”
“The process required teams to coordinate with each other from opposite sides of the canyon, with a rodman, or rigger, perched on one wall holding a fifteen-foot pole with a flag at one end—used to probe to the back of the caves perforating the rock—while a surveyor across the river fixed him in the crosshairs of his camera-equipped theodolite.”
“To assess the first needs only a time series from tape measure and theodolite survey old-school or aerial photos.”
Scientist Discusses Latest Report of Rising Global Temperatures | Universe Today
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘theodolite’.
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phrontistery-t
from phrontistery.info
tabacosis, tabanid, tabaret, tabati?re, tabby, tabefaction, tabellary, tabellion, tabernacle, tabernacular, tabescent, tabific and 930 more...
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The Universal Calculator
Obviates the need for other devices or calculations--it will have a button for everything, and it will solve everything.
qwerty keyboard, shift key, control, home, end, pause, log, sin, space, enter, plus, numb and 241 more...
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250 Cherry-Picked Words
Juicy words for the intermediate and advanced speller
consomme, miniaceous, nankeen, smaragdine, stramineous, vitellary, allemande, beguine, bransle, charabanc, margaritaceous, chaconne and 238 more...
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Amusing Nautical Words
coxswain, mizzenmast, boomjumper, abaft, cuddy, theodolite, gurrybutt, lily iron, yaw, lobscouse, orlop, dreadnought
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Things I never find at rummage sales ...
(No matter how hard I try.)
theodolite, astrolabe, zither, autoharp, Latvian-English D..., equestrian helmet, early works by Ja..., The Century Dicti..., nuclear reactor, stuffed bilby, trichobezoar, Keith Floyd DVD's and 15 more...
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Dan’s Reading List
Memo to myself: Read these definitions and comments.
Memo to everyone else: Thanks for adding, by the way—I do very much appreciate it. I try to move things from here to my bookmark...moist, yarb, theodolite, fufluns, plummet, crepuscular, twist, pique, umbrage, the united states..., smeath, new interface and 9 more...
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Arcadia, a play by Tom Stoppard
theodolite, Arcadia, carnal embrace, QED, sin of Onan, Fermat's last the..., landskip, bootboy, yesterday's upsta..., whole numbers, rice pudding, cabbages and 86 more...
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Why I adore this site
A collection of words and phrases that keep me coming back for more.
a priori, why I adore this ..., Chrysotus edwadsi, bletted, casu marzu, darner, melittologist, nabob, omne trinum perfe..., pi-stachio, pinnacle of the b..., pseudomantid and 24 more...
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spread out, spacious words of spe
words pertaining to the root spe- (hope) with some allegorical liberties.
paten, pan, pass, patent, petal, expand, repand, passacaglia, passe, paseo, paella, spawn and 150 more...
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Learned (or Encountered) in Reading
I have a list for words learned from Newsweek; here's where I keep all the stuff from other shit I read.
Except when I'm looking stuff up and find new words that way. Those go on their...cellie, laminectomy, mridangam, terroir, hypospadias, crus, corpora cavernosa, crura, uretheral meatus, bartholin's gland, coloquintida, colopexy and 921 more...
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Whaleworthy & Piratical Words
A list of favorite nautical words to be sprinkled liberally throughout speech for piratical or Melvillian effect.
batten down, back and fill, beamy, baulking, beckets, bilge, bold shore, boomjumper, breaker, larboard, abaft, ash breeze and 156 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, T
torquate, thalassocracy, toothsome, travois, tempestuous, tone, tincture, tripwire, tether, trill, tenacious, travesty and 355 more...
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Clearinghouse
For stuff to simply reside.
calcar, pinion, espadrille, antipodes, peregrine, cormorant, tanager, vireo, farrago, undervest, passerine, oscine and 881 more...
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hauntedtapedeck's Words
hinterland, palimpsest, palisade, thaumaturgy, sangfroid, frisson, crick, patchwork, susurration, disconsolate, septum, elbow and 119 more...
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Words that make you go hmmmm...
Interesting words you probably won't hear in your day-to-day.
maxwell, mooncalf, quagga, glaikit, musquash, lingam, haruspex, qindarka, chthonic, ipomoea, azimuthal, valuta and 305 more...
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In the figure
Being a list of words which have the phrase "in the figure" in their definitions.
theodolite, ravelin, camera, gnomon, sector, siphon, In the figure
Tweets
Looking for tweets for theodolite.

leaden
Century Dictionary, Vol. VIII, Page 6273, Theodicaea to Theologue Oct 13, 2011
reesetee Holy cow. Jul 25, 2011
yarb Whilst the layer of oil may well be exceedingly or exceptionally thin, I hope it isn't, as the definition states, excessively so. Jul 20, 2011
ruzuzu My favorite part is the conical bearing of Gamhey. Jul 20, 2011
yarb The parenthetical snark about "some geodesists" is pure joy. Jul 20, 2011
ruzuzu Of all the Century's definitions, I think I love this one the most. Jul 20, 2011
chained_bear "... a mathematical instrument generally useful, and particularly so to engineers and artillerists, in surveying and taking heights and distances."
—Falconer's New Universal Dictionary of the Marine (1816), 553 Oct 12, 2008
reesetee That's a fine enough book review for me! :-) Sep 11, 2008
chained_bear No, but looked it up on Amazon just now. Have you read it? Sep 11, 2008
Prolagus I don't know much about this kind of books, but do you know "No Bone Unturned"? Sep 11, 2008
chained_bear I liked it. It's old, though, and now I'm interested to find a similar book that's more up-to-date, so I can see if there have been any new discoveries in these particular cases since publication. For some (e.g. cholera, Robert the Bruce), probably not. But yes, it's well written and interesting.
I suck at book reviews. Sep 11, 2008
reesetee Sounds like a great book, c_b. Would you recommend it? Sep 11, 2008
chained_bear “The astonishing fact was that Mawson had taken forty-six days to drive himself on foot nearly 300 miles through the worst wilderness known to man, navigating by means of a damaged theodolite balanced on the corner of the cooker box, a compass rendered unreliable by the proximity of the South Magnetic Pole and a watch which had stopped at least two or three times. Though he kept a careful tally of his estimates for his daily marches, he had been reckoning progress by a sledge cyclometer that repeatedly jammed and broke. Yet here he was returning to base within 300 yards of his predicted line of travel.�?
—Michael Howell and Peter Ford, The Ghost Disease, and Twelve Other Stories of Detective Work in the Medical Field, (New York: Penguin Books, 1985), 328
Sep 11, 2008