mutoscope

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noun

An early motion-picture device, involving viewing a series of photographs taken in quick succession giving the illusion of movement, seen by one person at a time through a peephole.

Similar
what the butler saw
OriginLatin mutare →
First used 19th c.Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounmutoscope (plural mutoscopes)

plural mutoscopes

  1. historicalAn early motion-picture device, involving viewing a series of photographs taken in quick succession giving the illusion of movement, seen by one person at a time through a peephole.First known use 19th c.

    Mutoscope pictures in Capel street: for men only.

    1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 13: Nausicaa]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 351

    Synonyms: what the butler saw

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn early motion-picture device, involving viewing a series of photographs taken in quick succession giving the illusion of movement, seen by one person at a time through a peephole.

Similar
what the butler saw

Origin

  1. Latinmutare“to change”
  2. Englishmutoscope

Originally a trademark, from Latin mutare (“to change”), and -scope.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish mutoskooppi
  • mutoskooppiTranslations
French mutoscope
  • mutoscopeTranslations
Swedish mutoskop
  • mutoskopTranslations
Turkish mutoskop
  • mutoskopTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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