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rangefinder

rangefinder

3 6.6
A device that measures how far away something is
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪndʒˌfaɪndər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : telémetro
  • If you're a hunter with a rangefinder, use that to set distance markers.
  • rangefinder camera

Examples

  • Medium format rangefinder prices are in the ballpark of almost a thousand and higher.

    Academic text (1997)
  • I have an old Fuji 69 rangefinder that is wonderful.

    Blog text (18)
  • I went out one morning to my local camera store and bought her a small rangefinder camera.

    Academic text (1996)
  • If you want a rangefinder for a good price, shoot film.

    Blog text (17)
  • With Nikon, I have wanted them to make a digital rangefinder forever.

    Blog text (9)
  • A little less expensive are the medium format rangefinder cameras, sometimes called "Texas Leicas."

    Academic text (1997)
  • The rangefinder numbers skittered at the bottom of his field of vision as he scanned across the horizon.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I had to do this assignment in art school, too, with a little fixed-lens Yashica rangefinder.

    Blog text (4)
  • Kosutic measured the defile with the rangefinder in her helmet and looked at the ground.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • A rangefinder helps hunters determine how far away an animal is before taking a shot.

Synonyms

lidar
vsrangefinder
  • Specialized
7 7.2

A device that sends laser light to measure distance and map nearby objects

uses acoustic, optical, or electronic methods rather than only laser light
range finder
vsrangefinder
  • Specialized
2 5.7

A tool that measures how far away an object is using a laser

is the single word form used for the same instrument

How Far

lidar
  • Specialized
7 7.2
rangefinder
  • Specialized
3 6.6
range pole
  • Specialized
7.9

Surface Forms

rangefinder singular
rangefinders plural

Morphology

rangefinder = range + finder (transparent) = range + finder

The compound is fully compositional: a device ('finder') that determines or locates the 'range' (distance), so learners can infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

The word rangefinder is made of two words: range meaning 'distance' or 'area' and finder meaning 'one who finds', so a rangefinder is a tool that 'finds' how far away something is. Think of it as a 'distance finder' used by golfers, soldiers, or photographers to measure the space to a target.