n.
Pronunciation: ' te-l ə - ˌ sk ō p
Function: noun
Usage: often attrib
Etymology: New Latin telescopium, from Greek t ē leskopos farseeing, from t ē le- tele- + skopos watcher; akin to Greek skopein to look ― more at SPY
Date: 1648
1 : a usually tubular optical instrument for viewing distant objects by means of the refraction of light rays through a lens or the reflection of light rays by a concave mirror ― compare REFLECTOR , REFRACTOR
2 : any of various tubular magnifying optical instruments
3 : RADIO TELESCOPE