camera obscura

cam·era ob·scu·ra | \ ˈkam-rə-əb-ˈskyu̇r-ə

How to pronounce camera obscura (audio)

, ˈka-mə-rə- \

Definition of camera obscura

: a darkened enclosure having an aperture usually provided with a lens through which light from external objects enters to form an image of the objects on the opposite surface

Examples of camera obscura in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web All photography dates back to an ancient optical effect known as the camera obscura, in which inverted images of external scenes or objects form on a white surface within a darkened chamber. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Scientists found these old photographs contain metallic nanoparticles," 12 June 2019 Photography Workshop Participants will focus on camera obscura and cyanotypes. — Houston Chronicle, "On the go: Pub crawls and Vince Young signs autographs," 3 July 2018 He was inspired by friends who made exact drawings using a camera obscura—a dark room with a small hole in one side, which projects an inverted image of the outside view onto the opposite wall. — The Economist, "Retro photography is in vogue," 2 June 2018 Obscurus Projectum Sandra Gibson, and Luis Recoder, art installation involving large-scale camera obscura. — Chronicle Staff Report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Kids listings," 25 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'camera obscura.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about camera obscura

Dictionary Entries near camera obscura

camera rehearsal

Statistics for camera obscura

Cite this Entry

“Camera obscura.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/camera%20obscura. Accessed 18 January 2020.

WORD OF THE DAY

vicarious

experienced by way of someone else

Test Your Vocabulary

The Eponym Quiz

Which is the best synonym of bowdlerize?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.