Standard Lemma guide

spyglass

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈspaɪˌɡlæs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S P AY1 G L AE2 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small portable telescope.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A pair of binoculars.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: regional, uncommon

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a small refracting telescope

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: field glass, glass

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: refracting telescope

History

Etymology

From spy + glass.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: դիտակ (ditak) — portable telescope
  • Armenian: դիտափող (ditapʻoġ) — portable telescope
  • Breton: lunedenn-hirwel — portable telescope
  • Bulgarian: далекоглед (dalekogled) — portable telescope
  • Catalan: ullera — portable telescope
  • Chinese Mandarin: 小型望遠鏡 /小型望远镜 (xiǎoxíng wàngyuǎnjìng) — portable telescope
  • Dutch: verrekijker — portable telescope
  • Finnish: kaukoputki — portable telescope
  • French: longue-vue — portable telescope
  • French: lunette d'approche — portable telescope
  • Galician: tangalexo — portable telescope
  • Galician: catalexo — portable telescope
  • German: Fernglas — portable telescope
  • Greek: κιάλι (kiáli) — portable telescope
  • Greek: κανοκιάλι (kanokiáli) — portable telescope
  • Ido: lorno — portable telescope
  • Ingrian: kiikari — portable telescope
  • Irish: fadradharcán — portable telescope
  • Italian: cannocchiale — portable telescope
  • Italian: binocolo — portable telescope
  • Lithuanian: žiūronas — portable telescope
  • Macedonian: дурбин (durbin) — portable telescope
  • Polish: luneta — portable telescope
  • Portuguese: luneta — portable telescope
  • Romanian: ochean — portable telescope
  • Russian: подзо́рная труба́ (podzórnaja trubá) — portable telescope
  • Spanish: catalejo — portable telescope
  • Swedish: kikare — portable telescope
  • Turkish: dürbün — portable telescope
  • Turkish: teleskop — portable telescope
  • Turkish: ırakgörür — portable telescope
  • Welsh: ysbienddrych — portable telescope