Meanings
comparative more telescopic · superlative most telescopic
- Pertaining to, or carried out by means of, a telescope.First known use 17th c.
Within a year or two of Galileo's telescopic discoveries no one disputed that the moon had mountains, Jupiter had moons, Venus had phases and the sun had spots […].
2015, David Wootton, The Invention of Science, Penguin, published 2016, page 197 - astronomySeen by means of a telescope; only visible through a telescope.First known use 17th c.
telescopic stars
- Able to be extended or retracted by the use of parts that slide over one another.First known use 19th c.
telescopic baton
Synonyms: telescopable, telescoping
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveAble to be extended or retracted by the use of parts that slide over one another.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivecapable of discerning distant objects
adjectivehaving parts that slide one within another
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*kʷelh₁-
- Ancient Greekτῆλε (têle)
- Englishtele-
- Proto-Indo-European*speḱ-
- Proto-Indo-European*spéḱyeti
- Proto-Hellenic*sképt͏̌omai
- Ancient Greekσκέπτομαι (sképtomai)
- Ancient Greekσκοπός (skopós)
- Ancient Greekσκοπέω (skopéō)
- Englishtelescopic
From tele- + -scopic, after telescope.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian телескопичен, телескопичен
- телескопичен (teleskopičen)of or relating to a telescope
- телескопичен (teleskopičen)parts extended/retracted along coinciding axes
- телескопичен (teleskopičen)extended/retracted with sliding parts
Catalan telescòpic
- telescòpicof or relating to a telescope
Finnish teleskooppi-
- teleskooppi-of or relating to a telescope
French télescopique
- télescopiqueof or relating to a telescope
Greek τηλεσκοπικός
- τηλεσκοπικός (tileskopikós)of or relating to a telescope
Italian telescopico
- telescopicoof or relating to a telescope
Polish teleskopowy
- teleskopowyof or relating to a telescope
Portuguese telescópico
- telescópicoof or relating to a telescope
Romanian telescopic
- telescopicof or relating to a telescope
Russian телескопи́ческий, зоркий
- телескопи́ческий (teleskopíčeskij)of or relating to a telescope
- зоркий (zorkij)capable of seeing distant objects
- раздвижной (razdvižnoj)parts extended/retracted along coinciding axes
- выдвижной (vydvižnoj)extended/retracted with sliding parts
Spanish telescópico
- telescópicoof or relating to a telescope
Ukrainian телескопі́чний
- телескопі́чний (teleskopíčnyj)of or relating to a telescope
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with telescopic
Cite this entry
telescopic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telescopic
“telescopic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telescopic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “telescopic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telescopic.
Source: telescopic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.