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heliograph

American  
[hee-lee-uh-graf, -grahf] / ˈhi li əˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /

noun

  1. a device for signaling by means of a movable mirror that reflects beams of light, especially sunlight, to a distance.

  2. Astronomy. photoheliograph.

  3. Meteorology. an instrument for recording the duration and intensity of sunshine.

  4. Photography, Printing. an early type of photoengraving made on a metal plate coated with sensitized asphalt.


verb (used with or without object)

  1. to communicate by heliograph.

heliograph British  
/ -ˌɡræf, ˌhiːlɪˈɒɡrəfə, ˈhiːlɪəʊˌɡrɑːf, ˌhiːlɪəʊˈɡræfɪk /

noun

  1. an instrument with mirrors and a shutter used for sending messages in Morse code by reflecting the sun's rays

  2. a device used to photograph the sun

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of heliograph

First recorded in 1815–25; helio- + -graph

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The House of the Heliograph "You know your way about London?" he asked.

From The Boy Scout Aviators by Durston, George

Through a telescope at the Heliograph Station I watched the men working hard at the sangar.

From Ladysmith The Diary of a Siege by Nevinson, Henry W.

With the consent of the Royal Society and of the Kew Committee, the Kew Heliograph has been planted in the new dome looking over the South Ground.

From Autobiography of Sir George Biddell Airy by Airy, George Biddell

The Heliograph The first day I was in the Yellowstone I was riding along the upland beyond Blacktail Creek with T. E. Hofer.

From Wild Animals at Home by Seton, Ernest Thompson

"Heliograph," said Agar quietly, without taking his eyes from the spot far down in the valley; and soon the little mirror was flashing out its question over the vale.

From From One Generation to Another by Merriman, Henry Seton