etalon
[ eyt-l-on ]
/ ˈeɪt lˌɒn /
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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.
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Origin of etalon
1900–05; <French; Middle French estalon standard, derivative of Old French estal place <Germanic; see stall1
Words nearby etalon
etaerio, étagère, e-tail, e-tailing, et al., etalon, eta meson, etamine, etanercept, etaoin shrdlu, eta particle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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