etalon

E1T1A1L1O1N1

noun

An optical device containing parallel mirrors, used as a narrow band filter, often in laser design.

Similar
Fabry-Pérot interferometer
UncommonScrabble 6

Meanings

nounetalon (plural etalons)

plural etalons

  1. An optical device containing parallel mirrors, used as a narrow band filter, often in laser design.

    The laser output will be composed of longitudinal modes that fall inside the transmission band of the etalon, hence a narrowing of the laser line width is observed.

    2006, Walter Koechner, Solid-State Laser Engineering, page 264
    2 more examples

    It will be shown that the simple theory outlined in the preceding paragraph, which is applicable to single-plate etalons, can be used to predict the main features of the spectral curve of a multi element etalon.

    2004, S. C. Gupta, Textbook On Optical Fiber Communication And Its Applications, page 153

    The next step of this experiment is to compare the etalon m₁m₂ (shortest length) with the etalon m₃m₄ (the next one). For this two etalons are arranged side by side as shown in Fig. 7.13a.

    2009, V. Rajendran, Engineering Physics, page 7.15

    Synonyms: Fabry-Pérot interferometer

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn optical device containing parallel mirrors, used as a narrow band filter, often in laser design.

Similar
Fabry-Pérot interferometer

Origin

  1. Frenchétalon
  2. Frenchétalon
  3. Englishetalon

Borrowed from French étalon (“measuring gauge, standard”).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

etalon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/etalon

MLA

“etalon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/etalon. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “etalon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/etalon.

Source: etalon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.