pantograph

English

A pantograph for drawing

An original-style diamond rail pantograph

Etymology

From French pantographe, from panto- (from Ancient Greek παντός (pantos), genitive singular of πᾶν (pan, “all”)) and -graphe (from γράφειν (graphein, “to write”))

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈpantəɡɹɑːf/, /ˈpantəɡɹaf/, SAMPA: /"p{nt.@.gr{f/

Noun

pantograph (plural pantographs)

1. A mechanical linkage based on parallelograms causing two objects to move in parallel; notably as a drawing aid.

   A pantograph can be adjusted to make either scale - or exact copies.

2. A pattern printed on a document to reduce the ease of photocopying.

   I was impressed by the quality of the pantograph; I hadn't noticed it on the original, but the copies were covered in unpleasant lines.

3. (rail transport) A similarly-formed conductive device, now usually Z-shaped, that collects electric current from overhead lines for trains and trams.

Derived terms

• pantographer

Translations

mechanical drawing aid

Dutch: pantograaf, tekenaap m. French: pantographe (fr) m.

Italian: pantografo (it) m. Spanish: pantógrafo (es) m.

rail transport: Device that collects electric current from overhead lines

Dutch: (tram)beugel Finnish: virroitin (fi) French: pantographe (fr) m. German: Stromabnehmer  (de) m.

Italian: pantografo (it) m. Polish: pantograf (pl) m. Spanish: pantógrafo (es) m.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Esperanto: pantografo French: pantographe m.

Norwegian: pantograf

A modern Z-shaped rail pantograph

See also

• Pantograph on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• bow collector
• trolley pole
• Pantograph (rail) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Pantograph (rail)
• Pantographs on Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Commons: Pantographs

External links

• http://glossary.ippaper.com/default.asp?req=knowledge/article/243