Skip to main content
spyglass

spyglass

5 7.6
A small tube with a lens that people use to see faraway things at sea
  • noun
  • /ˈspaɪˌɡlæs/
translation icon : catalejo
  • The explorer always carried a spyglass to observe distant lands from the cliff.

He transforms a Dutch spyglass into, you know, a scientific instrument, the telescope.

Examples

  • The spyglass showed Lee a small, bright circle in the middle of blackness.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • May I look through your spyglass, sir?

  • A captain... is only as good as his spyglass.

  • May I look through your spyglass?

  • A standard spyglass is more convenient in the long run.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Why do you all have these spyglasses?

  • One day when I was in the shop of Mr. Charles Schott, I noticed an old ship's spyglass hanging on the wall.

    Academic text (1992)
  • As dawn arrives and the rain clears, Key fixes his spyglass on a point above the fort.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • "Sergeant Wynn, may I trouble you for your spyglass?" Wynn handed him the long brass tube.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Nearby, a spyglass rested atop a bookcase of nautical texts.

    Fiction book (2002)

Synonyms

telescope
vsspyglass
440 3.3

A tool with lenses or mirrors that makes far things look closer

is smaller and handheld for sea use rather than a general magnifying instrument
scope
vsspyglass
54 6.6

An optical device like a telescope or rifle sight that makes distant things look closer

is a small handheld viewing tool for sea use rather than a sighting device
glass
vsspyglass
  • Archaic
39 7.8

A small telescope used to look at distant things, often at sea

is the longer phrased name rather than the short common label
refracting telescope
vsspyglass
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A telescope that uses a large lens to bend light to make images you view through an eyepiece

is smaller and handheld for sea use rather than a larger observatory instrument
field glass
vsspyglass
1 5.3

A small pair of binoculars you use to look at distant things outdoors

is single-eye and used handheld at sea rather than a two-eye outdoor device
monocular
vsspyglass
1 7.3

A small telescope used with one eye to see things far away

is handheld and used at sea rather than focused on one-eye viewing
field glasses
vsspyglass
1 3.3

A pair of binoculars used to see far things outdoors

is single-eye and handheld for sea use rather than a paired outdoor device
Galilean telescope
vsspyglass
  • Archaic
8.8

An early telescope invented by Galileo that uses two lenses to make upright images

is a general small handheld refracting instrument not limited to this historic design
binoculars
vsspyglass
2.8

A pair of small tubes with lenses you hold to see far things with both eyes

is single-eye handheld for sea observation rather than a two-eye viewing instrument

How Powerful

observatory
  • Specialized
47 5.9
telescope
440 3.3
spyglass
5 7.6
monocular
1 7.3

Surface Forms

spyglass singular
spyglasses plural

Morphology

spyglass = spy + glass (transparent) = spy + glass

Both components are common words and the compound directly denotes a small handheld optical instrument for spying or viewing distant objects.

Etymology

The word spyglass is made of two parts: spy meaning 'to watch' and glass meaning 'clear material', the same idea as a looking glass. So a spyglass is a small glass you hold up to see things far away, which is why sailors and explorers used it to look for ships or land.