Etymology

phenakistoscope

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Today it means: An early animation device consisting of a disc or drum which rotated, showing successive images through slits, often via a mirror, thus producing the illusion of motion. Full definition →

French phénakistiscope ← Ancient Greek φενακιστής
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The story

  1. French · derived from-scope
  2. Ancient Greek · derived fromφενακιστής“cheat, imposter”
  3. French · borrowed fromphénakistiscope
  4. English todayphenakistoscope

From French phénakistiscope, from Ancient Greek φενακιστής (phenakistḗs, “cheat, imposter”) + French -scope.

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekφενακιστής all →

phenakism

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.