Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

heliostat

American  
[hee-lee-uh-stat] / ˈhi li əˌstæt /

noun

  1. an instrument consisting of a mirror moved by clockwork, for reflecting the sun's rays in a fixed direction.


heliostat British  
/ ˈhiːlɪəʊˌstæt /

noun

  1. an astronomical instrument used to reflect the light of the sun in a constant direction

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of heliostat

From the New Latin word heliostata, dating back to 1740–50. See helio-, -stat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“The new, higher, 750-foot solar power tower allows the heliostat rows to be placed closer together, with the mirrors at a steeper angle,” the company stated in its license application.

From Forbes Aug. 6, 2011

When I walked into the control room I saw computer screens that tracked every single heliostat in the field as well as other metrics like solar radiation, temperature, and power generation.

From Forbes Jul. 5, 2011

Each heliostat is controlled by its own photoelectric cells.

From Time Magazine Archive

I’d read that giant solar arrays were positioned throughout the city, along with two heliostat power plants on its outskirts.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Foucault’s heliostat reflects the rays horizontally in any required direction.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training