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meridian circle

noun Astronomy.
  1. a transit instrument provided with a graduated vertical scale, used to measure the declinations of heavenly bodies and to determine the time of meridian transits.
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Origin of meridian circle

First recorded in 1540–50
Also called circle, transit circle, transit instrument.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for meridian circle

Historical Examples

  • Was he not drowsing over his eyepiece in the meridian-circle room?

    The Man Who Rocked the Earth

    Arthur Train

British Dictionary definitions for meridian circle

meridian circle

noun
  1. an instrument used in astronomy for determining the declination and right ascension of stars. It consists of a telescope attached to a graduated circle
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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