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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

collimate.

To focus into a narrow beam or column; to adjust a focusing device so that it produces a narrow beam.

9 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ˈkɒlɪmeɪt/UK
  1. To focus into a narrow beam or column; to adjust a focusing device so that it produces a narrow beam.

    Lead bricks were placed around the radioactive source so that the escaping gamma rays would be limited to a collimated beam rather than filling the lab.
    I need to collimate my telescope so that the images are clearer.
Where this word comes from

First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin collimātus, perfect passive participle of collīmō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), itself originating from a misreading of collīniō, collīneō.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.