universal instrument

noun

A kind of altitude and azimuth instrument. The object end of the telescope is placed at right angles to the eye end, with a prism of total reflection at the angle, and the eye end constitutes a portion of the horizontal axis of the instrument, having the eyepiece at the pivot and in the center of the altitude circle, so that the eye has convenient access to both at the same time.

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Meanings

noununiversal instrument (plural universal instruments)

plural universal instruments

  1. astronomyA kind of altitude and azimuth instrument. The object end of the telescope is placed at right angles to the eye end, with a prism of total reflection at the angle, and the eye end constitutes a portion of the horizontal axis of the instrument, having the eyepiece at the pivot and in the center of the altitude circle, so that the eye has convenient access to both at the same time.
Cite this entry
APA

universal instrument. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/universal%20instrument

MLA

“universal instrument.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/universal%20instrument. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “universal instrument,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/universal%20instrument.

Source: universal instrument on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.