diopter
[dahy-op-ter]
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noun
Optics. a unit of measure of the refractive power of a lens, having the dimension of the reciprocal of length and a unit equal to the reciprocal of one meter. Abbreviation: D
an instrument, invented by Hipparchus, to measure the apparent diameter of the sun or moon or to estimate the size or elevation of distant objects.
Also especially British, di·op·tre.
Origin of diopter
1585–95; < Latin dioptra < Greek: instrument for measuring height or levels, equivalent to di- di-3 + op- (for ópsesthai to see) + -tra noun suffix of means
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for diopter
Historical Examples of diopter
The unit of power employed by spectacle-makers is termed the diopter or dioptric (see Spectacles).
Diopter, the unit in terms of which the power of a lens or curved mirror can be expressed.
The New Gresham EncyclopediaVarious
diopter
[dī-ŏp′tər]
n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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