collimate

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collimate

/ˈkɒlɪmeɪt/ UK

Where it comes from

First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin collimātus, perfect passive participle of collīmō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), itself originating from a misreading of collīniō, collīneō.

verb collimates · collimating · collimated

To focus into a narrow beam or column; to adjust a focusing device so that it produces a narrow beam. Lead bricks were placed around the radioactive source so that the escaping gamma rays would be limited to a collimated beam rather than filling the lab.

Translations

Every language

verb to focus

Español	colimar
Deutsch	kollimieren

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MLA

"collimate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/collimate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

collimate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/collimate

Chicago

"collimate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/collimate.

BibTeX

@misc{collimate_2026,
  title = {collimate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/collimate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}