cinematograph

noun

cin·​e·​mat·​o·​graph ˌsi-nə-ˈma-tə-ˌgraf How to pronounce cinematograph (audio)
chiefly British
: a movie camera, projector, theater, or show

Examples of cinematograph in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Frémaux, who runs the Institute, gave the crowd a taste of what fresh restorations can do for cinema by showing a selection of the very first films shot by the Lumière Brothers, the inventors of the cinematograph, who give their name to the Institute and the festival. Lise Pedersen, Variety, 15 Oct. 2023 Graphic and photographic processes are explained, as well as early cinema, from optical toys to photographic inventions, to the Lumière brothers’ cinematograph. The Courier-Journal, 1 Mar. 2023 The hucksters who made a living projecting the cinematograph on a sheet in 1905, in Rivington Street, went west and became known as Mayer, Goldwyn, Laemmle, Warner, and Fox. David Mamet, National Review, 3 Mar. 2022 Institut Lumière Film lovers won’t want to miss out on Institut Lumière, a museum that pays homage to brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière, the inventors of the cinematograph. Christina Liao, Vogue, 21 Aug. 2017

Word History

Etymology

French cinématographe, from Greek kinēmat-, kinēma movement (from kinein to move) + French -o- + -graphe -graph — more at -kinesis

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cinematograph was in 1896

Dictionary Entries Near cinematograph

Cite this Entry

“Cinematograph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cinematograph. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

cinematograph

noun
cin·​e·​mat·​o·​graph ˌsin-ə-ˈmat-ə-ˌgraf How to pronounce cinematograph (audio)
: a visual record obtained by cinematography
cinematographs of the spontaneously fibrillating auricleThe Journal of the American Medical Association
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