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alidade

[ al-i-deyd ]
/ ˈæl ɪˌdeɪd /
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noun Surveying.
(in plane-tabling) a straightedge having a telescopic sight or other means of sighting parallel to the straightedge.
the entire upper part of a theodolite or transit, including the telescope, its supports, the level vials, the circle-reading device, and the spindle.
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Also al·i·dad [al-i-dad]. /ˈæl ɪˌdæd/.

Origin of alidade

1400–50; variant of alhidade<Medieval Latin alhidada<Arabic al-ʿiḍādah the turning radius (like a clock hand) of a circle; replacing late Middle English allydatha (<Old Spanish alhidada)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alidade in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alidade

alidade

alidad (ˈælɪˌdæd)

/ (ˈælɪˌdeɪd) /

noun
a surveying instrument used in plane-tabling for drawing lines of sight on a distant object and taking angular measurements
the upper rotatable part of a theodolite, including the telescope and its attachments

Word Origin for alidade

C15: from French, from Medieval Latin allidada, from Arabic al-'idāda the revolving radius of a circle
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
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