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collimate

[ kol-uh-meyt ]
/ ˈkɒl əˌmeɪt /
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verb (used with object), col·li·mat·ed, col·li·mat·ing.
to bring into line; make parallel.
to adjust accurately the line of sight of (a telescope).
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Origin of collimate

1615–25; <Latin collimātus, misreading of collineātus, past participle of collineāre to direct in a straight line, equivalent to col-col-1 + -lineā-, verbal derivative of linealine1 + -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM collimate

col·li·ma·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for collimate

collimate
/ (ˈkɒlɪˌmeɪt) /

verb (tr)
to adjust the line of sight of (an optical instrument)
to use a collimator on (a beam of radiation or particles)
to make parallel or bring into line

Derived forms of collimate

collimation, noun

Word Origin for collimate

C17: from New Latin collimāre, erroneously for Latin collīneāre to aim, from com- (intensive) + līneāre, from līnea line
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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