Binocular

Origin

Borrowing from fr binoculaire.

Full definition of binocular

Adjective

1. Using two eyes or viewpoints; especially, using two eyes or viewpoints to ascertain distance.a binocular microscope or telescope
• DerhamMost animals are binocular.Studies in biology and cognitive science point to biological processes that appear to be mathematically oriented — there are cells in our visual system that are sensitive only to vertical structures, our perception of distance arises from the geometry of binocular vision and our early learning seems based on calculating probabilities. The body is built to create structure from sensory data — to weave it into the objects we perceive.

Derived terms

• binocularity
• binocular vision

Noun

1. Attributive of binoculars
2. A pair of binoculars.
• 1956, w, Crime out of Mind Chapter 14, He gazed around until on the lid of a spinet he spotted a promising collection of bottles, gin, whiskey, vermouth and sherry, mixed with violin bows, a flute, a toppling pile of books, six volumes of Grove's Dictionary mingled with paperback thrillers, a guitar without any strings, a pair of binoculars, a meerschaum pipe and a jar half-full of wasps and apricot jam.
3. (dated) Any binocular glass, such as an opera glass, telescope, or microscope.----