Word Study
zoetrope
CIDE DICTIONARY
zoetrope, n. [Gr. life + turning, from to turn.].
An optical toy, in which figures made to revolve on the inside of a cylinder, and viewed through slits in its circumference, appear like a single figure passing through a series of natural motions as if animated or mechanically moved. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
zoetrope, n. hist. an optical toy in the form of a cylinder with a series of pictures on the inner surface which give an impression of continuous motion when viewed through slits with the cylinder rotating.
Etymology
irreg. f. Gk zoe life + -tropos turning
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