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)

Words nearby alidade

Alice Springs, Alicia, Alick, lick and a promise, a, alicyclic, alidade, alien, alienable, alienage, Alien and Sedition Acts, alienate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alidade in a sentence

Field artillery required a precision instrument known as the miniature telescopic alidade of the Gale type.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell
A very simple alidade may be made by mounting two needles on a ruler.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
Close by stood an alidade, an instrument for measuring angles.
Historical Miniatures|August Strindberg
After he had placed the plane table on a tripod and upon this the alidade, he started to work.
On the Seaboard|August Strindberg

The alidade is a triangular ruler with one or more working scales on it beside other measurements.
Military Instructors Manual|James P. Cole and Oliver Schoonmaker

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