camera

¹ American  

[kam-er-uh, kam-ruh] / ˈkæm ər ə, ˈkæm rə /

noun

1. a device for capturing a photographic image or recording a video, using film or digital memory.

2. (in a television transmitting apparatus) the device in which the picture to be televised is formed before it is changed into electric impulses.

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adjective

1. Printing. camera-ready.

idioms

1. on camera, being filmed or televised by a live camera.

   Be sure to look alert when you are on camera.

2. off camera,

   1. out of the range of a video camera, as a television or motion picture camera.

      The stunt woman was waiting just off camera for her cue to enter the scene.

   2. (of an actor) in one’s private rather than professional life.

      The two co-stars are best friends off camera.

camera ² American  

[kam-er-uh] / ˈkæm ər ə /

noun

• camerae
  plural

1. a judge's private office.

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idioms

1. in camera,

   1. Law. in the privacy of a judge's chambers.

   2. privately.

camera British  

/ ˈkæmrə, ˈkæmərə /

noun

1. an optical device consisting of a lens system set in a light-proof construction inside which a light-sensitive film or plate can be positioned See also cine camera digital camera

2. television the equipment used to convert the optical image of a scene into the corresponding electrical signals

3. See camera obscura

4. a judge's private room

5. 1. law relating to a hearing from which members of the public are excluded

   2. in private

6. not within an area being filmed

7. (esp of an actor) being filmed

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• camerae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of camera¹

First recorded in 1730–40; shortening of camera obscura ( def. ); 1840-45 camera ¹ for def. 1; utimately from Latin camera “vaulted room, vault”; see camera ² ( def. )

Origin of camera²

First recorded in 1630–40; for earlier sense “vaulted room,” from Latin, from Greek kamára “vault, vaulted room”; see chamber ( def. )

Explanation

A camera records images in the form of photographs, film or video. If you want evidence that you've spotted Bigfoot in the woods behind your house, you'll need a camera. The noun camera typically refers to a film or digital device that captures still pictures when you press a button. A film camera stores images on a strip of film that must be developed with special chemicals, while a digital camera keeps them on a memory card, and with the help of a computer you can see the pictures almost instantly. The original meaning of camera, "vaulted building," came from Latin via the Greek root kamera, "vaulted chamber."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

camera camerae

A checklist also found on Mangione contained entries including "intel check in" and reminders to purchase a camera from the Best Buy retail chain.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Citizen Zoo has also set up camera traps and "latrine rafts" - floating rafts where the water voles defecate - to help gather evidence of the population on the Hogsmill.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Destroying a camera sends a strong and unmistakable message: They are finite, physical entities, just like us.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

But it was a bunch of the cast and then there was also some pinks in there just to see how everything looks on camera.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Then I noticed that the crowd was standing behind a movie camera.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Apparently he returned to court life in England, and to the duties of valettus camerae regis.

From Chaucer and His Times by Grace E. Hadow

They were servi camerae, serfs of the state, and as such had to pay oppressive taxes.

From Jewish History : an essay in the philosophy of history by S. M. (Simon Markovich) Dubnow

Chambers, or camerae, monks', 47-50 Chapter House, 30 Charing Cross, 47 f.,

From William de Colchester Abbot of Westminster by Ernest Harold Pearce

Some light is thrown upon these camerae by the inventories of medieval nunneries.

From Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535 by Eileen Power

Under the circumstances, if Chaucer ever was a "vallettus camerae Regis," we should expect him to have been so called more than once.

From Chaucer's Official Life by James Root Hulbert

Related Words

• camcorder