etalon
[ eyt-l-on ]
/ ˈeɪt lˌɒn /
noun Optics.
an interferometer consisting of two glass plates that reflect approximately half of each ray of light incident upon them and that are separated by a small, fixed distance: used to compare wavelengths and to study atomic spectra.
Nearby words
eta meson, eta particle, eta-c meson, eta-c particle, etaerio, etalon, etamine, etaoin shrdlu, etatism, etc., etcetera
Origin of etalon
1900–05; < French; Middle French estalon standard, derivative of Old French estal place < Germanic; see stall1
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for etalon
etalon
/ (ˈɛtəˌlɒn) /
noun
physics a device used in spectroscopy to measure wavelengths by interference effects produced by multiple reflections between parallel half-silvered glass or quartz plates
Word Origin for etalon
C20: French étalon a fixed standard of weights and measures, from Old French estalon; see also stallion
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