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lidar

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lidar¹

  • /ˈlaɪdɑɹ/ US
  • /ˈlaɪdɑː/ UK

Rhymes with -aɪdɑː(ɹ)

Where it comes from

By anacronymic evolution from LIDAR.

noun lidars

  1. uncountable, usually The optical analogue of radar, using intense pulses of laser light to measure the composition and structure of the atmosphere. Tesla bet on the idea that in the design of self-driving cars, lidar doesn't add enough capability, beyond what the cameras already provide, to be worth the additional cost.
  2. countable A device that provides such imaging. There's a lidar mounted on the roof of that Waymo.

LIDAR²

Where it comes from

Acronym of light detection and ranging. Synchronically also analyzable as blend of light + radar. The lowercase form (lidar) is by anacronymic evolution.

noun LIDARs

  1. abbreviation, acronym Acronym of light detection and ranging

LiDAR³

noun LiDARs

  1. alternative Alternative form of LIDAR

Translations

Every language

noun optical analogue of radar

中文激光雷達 /激光雷达 jīguāng léidá
Русскийлида́р lidár

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Cite this
MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX
@misc{lidar_2026,
  title = {lidar},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lidar},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}