pantograph

American  

[pan-tuh-graf, -grahf] / ˈpæn təˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /

noun

1. Also pantagraph an instrument for the mechanical copying of plans, diagrams, etc., on any desired scale.

2. Electricity. a device usually consisting of two parallel, hinged, double-diamond frames, for transferring current from an overhead wire to a vehicle, as a trolley car or electric locomotive.

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pantograph British  

/ pænˈtɒɡrəfə, ˌpæntəˈɡræfɪk, ˈpæntəˌɡrɑːf /

noun

1. an instrument consisting of pivoted levers for copying drawings, maps, etc, to any desired scale

2. a sliding type of current collector, esp a diamond-shaped frame mounted on a train roof in contact with an overhead wire

3. a device consisting of a parallelogram of jointed rods used to suspend a studio lamp so that its height can be adjusted

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Other Word Forms

• pantographer
  noun
• pantographic
  adjective
• pantographical
  adjective
• pantographically
  adverb
• pantography
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pantograph

First recorded in 1715–25; panto- + -graph

Example Sentences

As the pantograph makes and breaks contact with the line, he says, it produces sparks and electromagnetic bursts that can “drown the entire spectrum of faint radio signals the telescope is devoted to study.”

From Science Magazine • Mar. 7, 2023

Mr. Schmieder was part of a test of a third alternative: a system that feeds electricity to trucks as they drive, using wires strung above the roadway and a pantograph mounted on the cab.

From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2021

Light-rail trains are powered by a device called a pantograph, sometimes shaped like a metal arm, a diamond or a triangle.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2019

The incident just before 11 a.m. resulted from failure of a pantograph, an apparatus that extends upward from the roof, drawing power from the overhead wire into the train.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 20, 2017

It is absolutely impossible to make a good reproduction with a stiff, jerky pantograph.

From Things To Make by Williams, Archibald