telescoping

Variant of telescope

telescope definition

tele·scope (tel′ə skōp′)

noun

an optical instrument for making distant objects, as the stars, appear nearer and consequently larger: it consists of two or more lenses or mirrors

Etymology: It telescopio (coined by Galileo, 1611) < ModL telescopium < Gr tēleskopos, seeing from a distance: see tele- & -scope

adjective

having parts that slide one inside another

intransitive verb telescoped -·scoped′, telescoping -·scop′·ing

to slide or be forced one into another like the concentric tubes of a small, collapsible telescope

transitive verb

  1. to cause to telescope
  2. to condense; shorten, as by combining parts, compressing, etc.

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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