thaumatrope

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/ˈθɔːmətrəʊp/

noun

An optical toy made of a card with an image on each side; when twirled, the images appear to combine.

OriginAncient Greek θαῦμα →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nounthaumatrope (plural thaumatropes)

plural thaumatropes

  1. An optical toy made of a card with an image on each side; when twirled, the images appear to combine.
  2. A zoetrope.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
thaumascopezoetrope

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekθαῦμα“miracle”
  2. Englishthaumatrope

From Ancient Greek θαῦμα (thaûma, “miracle”) + τρόπος (trópos, “a turn”), thauma + -trope.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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