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thaumatrope

[ thaw-muh-trohp ]
/ ˈθɔ məˌtroʊp /
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noun

a card with different pictures on opposite sides, as a horse on one side and a rider on the other, which appear as if combined when the card is twirled rapidly, thus illustrating the persistence of visual impressions.

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Origin of thaumatrope

First recorded in 1820–30; thauma(to)- + -trope

OTHER WORDS FROM thaumatrope

thau·ma·trop·i·cal [thaw-muh-trop-i-kuhl], /ˌθɔ məˈtrɒp ɪ kəl/, adjective

Words nearby thaumatrope

that's the beauty of, that's the ticket, that will do, thaumato-, thaumatology, thaumatrope, thaumaturge, thaumaturgic, thaumaturgy, thaw, Thaxter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for thaumatrope

  • These memories lie in confusion, unformed and undefined, like pictures in a thaumatrope.

    The Son of a Servant|August Strindberg

  • The thaumatrope, then, did nothing more than illustrate the power of the eye to weld together a couple of alternating impressions.

    The Romance of Modern Invention|Archibald Williams

  • Why do the figures upon the "Thaumatrope" appear to dance, when they are made to revolve before a mirror?

    The Reason Why|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for thaumatrope

thaumatrope
/ (ˈθɔːməˌtrəʊp) /

noun

a toy in which partial pictures on the two sides of a card appear to merge when the card is twirled rapidly

Derived forms of thaumatrope

thaumatropical (ˌθɔːməˈtrɒpɪkəl), adjective

Word Origin for thaumatrope

C19: from thaumato- + -trope
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
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