Collimate

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Collimate \Col"li*mate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Collimated}; p. p.
     & vb. n. {Collimating}.] [See {Collimation}.] (Physics &
     Astron.)
     To render parallel to a certain line or direction; to bring
     into the same line, as the axes of telescopes, etc.; to
     render parallel, as rays of light.


     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Collimating eyepiece}, an eyepiece with a diagonal reflector
        for illumination, used to determine the error of
        collimation in a transit instrument by observing the image
        of a cross wire reflected from mercury, and comparing its
        position in the field with that of the same wire seen
        directly.
  
     {Collimating lens} (Optics), a lens used for producing
        parallel rays of light.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  collimate
       v 1: make or place parallel to something; "They paralleled the
            ditch to the highway" [syn: {parallel}]
       2: adjust the line of sight of (an optical instrument)