mesolabe

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noun

An ancient instrument for finding two mean proportionals between two given lines, required in solving the problem of the duplication of the cube.

OriginLatin mesolabium ← Ancient Greek μεσόλαβος →
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Meanings

nounmesolabe (plural mesolabes)

plural mesolabes

  1. historicalAn ancient instrument for finding two mean proportionals between two given lines, required in solving the problem of the duplication of the cube.

    In the second part, by means of the monochord, and an instrument called the Mesolabe, he measures and ascertains the intervals

    1819, Thomas Busby, A General History of Music

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekμεσόλαβος
  2. Latinmesolabium
  3. Englishmesolabe

From Latin mesolabium, from Ancient Greek μεσόλαβος (mesólabos).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

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Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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