heliograph
[ hee-lee-uh-graf, -grahf ]
/ ˈhi li əˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /
noun
a device for signaling by means of a movable mirror that reflects beams of light, especially sunlight, to a distance.
Astronomy. photoheliograph.
Meteorology. an instrument for recording the duration and intensity of sunshine.
Photography, Printing. an early type of photoengraving made on a metal plate coated with sensitized asphalt.
verb (used with or without object)
to communicate by heliograph.
Nearby words
heliocentric parallax, heliochrome, heliodor, heliogabalus, heliogram, heliograph, heliographic, heliogravure, heliolatry, heliolithic, heliometer
Related formshe·li·og·ra·pher [hee-lee-og-ruh-fer] /ˌhi liˈɒg rə fər/, nounhe·li·o·graph·ic [hee-lee-uh-graf-ik] /ˌhi li əˈgræf ɪk/, he·li·o·graph·i·cal, adjectivehe·li·o·graph·i·cal·ly, adverbhe·li·og·ra·phy, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for heliograph
British Dictionary definitions for heliograph
heliograph
/ (ˈhiːlɪəʊˌɡrɑːf, -ˌɡræf) /
noun
an instrument with mirrors and a shutter used for sending messages in Morse code by reflecting the sun's rays
a device used to photograph the sun
Derived Formsheliographer (ˌhiːlɪˈɒɡrəfə), nounheliographic (ˌhiːlɪəʊˈɡræfɪk) or heliographical, adjectiveheliography, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for heliograph
heliograph
product of a certain type of engraving process, 1853, from helio- + -graph "something written." Earlier, "a description of the sun" (1706, implied in heliographic). Heliography (1845 in the engraving sense) also (1840) was an early term for what came to be called photography.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper