Astrolabe
//ˈæs.tɹəˌleɪb// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An astronomical and navigational instrument for gauging the altitude of the Sun and stars.
"The shop carries more than a dozen sundials, mostly of bronze, plus an astrolabe ($650) of wrought iron."
- 2 an early form of sextant wordnet
Example
More examples"Astrolabe is an elaborate inclinometer, and can be considered an analog calculator capable of working out several different kinds of problems in astronomy."
Etymology
From Middle English astrelabie et al., from Middle French astrolabe, Old French astrelabe, from Ancient Greek ἀστρολάβος (astrolábos, “star-taking”), from ἄστρον (ástron, “star”) + λαμβάνω (lambánō, “I take”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.