zoopraxiscope

American  

[zoh-uh-prak-suh-skohp] / ˌzoʊ əˈpræk səˌskoʊp /

noun

Movies.

1. an early type of motion-picture projector, designed by Eadweard Muybridge, in which the images were drawings or photographs placed along the rim of a circular glass plate, the shutter was a rotating opaque disk with radial slots, and a limelight source was used.

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Etymology

Origin of zoopraxiscope

zoo- + praxi- as combining form of Greek práxis action, praxis + -scope; term introduced by Muybridge about 1881, replacing his own earlier term zoogyriscope

Example Sentences

An 1893 Eadweard Muybridge zoopraxiscope, “A Couple Waltzing,” works like film to give you the impression of a slightly less refined pair stepping as they rotate.

From New York Times • May 18, 2015

The retrospective features about 250 images and objects including Muybridge’s only surviving zoopraxiscope, a prototype of the film projector he invented in 1879.

From New York Times • Feb. 18, 2011

The difficulties involved in the preparation of the disk pictures and in the manipulation of the zoopraxiscope prevented the instrument from attracting much attention.

From Marvels of Modern Science by Severing, Paul