- a surveying instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles, consisting of a small tripod-mounted telescope that is free to move in both the horizontal and vertical planesAlso called (in the US and Canada): transit
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
the•od•o•lite
(thē od′l īt′),USA pronunciation n.
the•od•o•lit•ic
(thē od′l it′ik),USA pronunciation adj.
- Surveyinga precision instrument having a telescopic sight for establishing horizontal and sometimes vertical angles. Cf. transit (def. 6).
- Rocketryphototheodolite.
- ?
- Neo-Latin theodolitus
- 1565–75;
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
theodolite /θɪˈɒdəˌlaɪt/ n
'theodolite' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
alidade
- crosshair
- tacheometer
- transit theodolite
- acoustic theodolite
- circle
- hub
- phototheodolite
- plunge
- transit
- universal stage
- vernier