circumferentor

American

[ser-kuhm-fuh-ren-ter] / sərˈkʌm fəˌrɛn tər /

noun

Surveying.

an alidade equipped with a compass and two diametrically opposed vertical arms with slits for sighting through.

Etymology

Origin of circumferentor

1600–10; < Latin circumferent ( ia ) circumference + -or ²

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.

An improvement which was no doubt introduced at a very early day is the measuring wheel or circumferentor.

From The Seven Follies of Science [2nd ed.] A popular account of the most famous scientific impossibilities and the attempts which have been made to solve them. by Phin, John

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023