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radar

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: RADAR, Radar, raðar, and rådar

English

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WOTD – 10 November 2025

Etymology

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A radar screen (noun sense 1) of the USS Intrepid, an American aircraft carrier which is now a museum ship in New York City, New York, U.S.A.
A radar screen (noun sense 1) of the SG radar system photographed in 1945, not long after radar was invented. SG radar was a United States Navy surface-search radar developed for large warships.

The noun is derived from RADAR by anacronymic evolution. RADAR is an acronym of ra(dio) d(etection) a(nd) r(anging) which was coined by Lieutenant-Commander Samuel M. Tucker and Lieutenant-Commander F. R. Furth of the United States Navy in November 1940.[1][2]

The verb is probably derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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radar (countable and uncountable, plural radars) (originally US)

  2. (uncountable) In full primary radar: a method of detecting a distant object and determining its position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysing radio waves (usually microwaves) which are sent towards the object and which reflect off its surfaces; also, the field of study of this method.
    Alternative form: RADAR (alternative letter-case form, dated)
    Hypernym: imaging
    Hyponyms: active radar, Doppler radar
    Coordinate terms: lidar (uses light waves), sodar (uses sound waves), sonar (uses sound waves)
    They were able to find the enemy fleet using radar.
    2. (uncountable, by extension) In full secondary radar: a method of detecting a distant object and determining its position, velocity, or other characteristics by analysing signals transmitted by the object in response to radio waves sent towards the object.
    4. (countable) Often preceded by a descriptive word: a system using one of the above detection methods, differentiated by configuration or platform, frequency, power, and other technical attributes.
      The Ministry of Defence funded the development of an entirely new radar and improved avionics.
      • 2002, Brian Jonathan Wolk, “Producing Inconsistencies in Various Cases”, in Ohio Traffic Tickets are for the Birds: A Practical Defense Manual for Juveniles and Adults, Lincoln, Neb.: Writers Club Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, section 4 (Producing Inconsistencies), page 145:
        Evidence as to the audio monitor's reading is required to prove the [police] officer used the radar unit properly, and must be shown in order to secure a conviction for speeding when using radar.
        Referring to the use of a radar speed gun for detecting speeding vehicles.
    6. (countable) An installation of the apparatus for operating one of the above detection systems.
      Each of these aircraft has been upgraded with a new radar and a more powerful engine.
  4. (uncountable, by extension) Often preceded by a descriptive word: a natural (for example, in an animal such as a bat) or human-made detection method based on the analysis of reflected signals other than radio waves, as light waves or sound waves; (countable) an instance of this.
  5. (countable, figurative) A superior ability to detect something; an awareness, an intuition.
    Hyponym: gaydar
    His sensitive radar for hidden alliances keeps him out of trouble.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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radar (third-person singular simple present radars, present participle radaring, simple past and past participle radared)

  1. (transitive) To use a radar apparatus (noun sense 1, sense 1.1, or sense 2) on (someone or something); to scan (someone or something) with, or as if with, radar.
    • 1961, Irving Shulman, chapter 8, in West Side Story: A Novelization […], New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, published November 1967, →ISBN, page 137:
      This was no ordinary signal for help that Baby-John was radaring to outer space, but a call that had to be heeded, for he had just seen two hard guys go down for the final count— […]
    • 1991 January, Elizabeth Egloff, “Swan Play”, in Jocelyn Beard, editor, The Best Women’s Stage Monologues of 1990 (Applause Acting Series), Newbury, Vt.: Smith and Kraus, →ISBN, page 69:
      I don't think men are born on this planet. I think men are born on the planet Pluto and they have them molecularly disassembled and radar-ed to the earth.
    • 2002, Brian Jonathan Wolk, “Producing Inconsistencies in Various Cases”, in Ohio Traffic Tickets are for the Birds: A Practical Defense Manual for Juveniles and Adults, Lincoln, Neb.: Writers Club Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, section 4 (Producing Inconsistencies), page 156:
      You want to cross-examine an officer about his competence with regards to radar and the radar he used to ticket you with. He radars you while he's sitting in his patrol vehicle under a bridge.
    • 2021, Francisco Martínez, “Putting Objects to Work”, in Ethnographic Experiments with Artists, Designers and Boundary Objects: Exhibitions as a Research Method, London: UCL Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 41:
      [I]n Humans Need Not to Count the artists Varvara & Mar presented a robot clicker counting the number of visitors to the gallery […] The piece also evoked the mythification of artificial intelligence, attributing wisdom and consciousness to what is, in the case of the installation, instrumental intelligence (the robotic hand merely does two moves: radaring and clicking).

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “radar, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2025; “radar, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ^ Jeffrey D. Duda (2010), “Historical Overview of Radar Meteorology”, in Jeffrey D. Duda’s Meteorology Home Page‎[1], archived from the original on 2 March 2023: “Note: the word radar is actually an acronym that stands for RAdio Detection And Ranging. It was officially coined by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commanders Samuel M. Tucker and F.R. Furth in November 1940.”

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Basque

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Spanish radar, from English radar.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /radar/ [ra.ð̞ar]
  • Rhymes: -adar, -ar
  • Hyphenation: ra‧dar

Noun

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radar inan

  1. radar

Declension

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Declension of radar (inan C-stem)
indefinite singular plural proximal plural
absolutive radar radarra radarrak radarrok
ergative radarrek radarrak radarrek radarrok
dative radarri radarrari radarrei radarroi
genitive radarren radarraren radarren radarron
comitative radarrekin radarrarekin radarrekin radarrokin
causative radarrengatik radarrarengatik radarrengatik radarrongatik
benefactive radarrentzat radarrarentzat radarrentzat radarrontzat
instrumental radarrez radarraz radarrez radarrotaz
innesive radarretan radarrean radarretan radarrotan
locative radarretako radarreko radarretako radarrotako
allative radarretara radarrera radarretara radarrotara
terminative radarretaraino radarreraino radarretaraino radarrotaraino
directive radarretarantz radarrerantz radarretarantz radarrotarantz
destinative radarretarako radarrerako radarretarako radarrotarako
ablative radarretatik radarretik radarretatik radarrotatik
partitive radarrik — — —
prolative radartzat — — —

Further reading

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  • “radar”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]

Catalan

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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radar m (plural radars)

  1. radar

Cornish

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Noun

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radar

  1. radar

References

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Czech

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Czech Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia cs

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈradar]
  • Rhymes: -adar
  • Hyphenation: ra‧dar

Noun

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radar m inan

  1. radar
  2. speed camera

Declension

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Declension of radar (hard masculine inanimate)
singular plural
nominative radar radary
genitive radaru radarů
dative radaru radarům
accusative radar radary
vocative radare radary
locative radaru radarech
instrumental radarem radary

Dutch

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Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Etymology

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Borrowed from English radar.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈraː.dɑr/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: ra‧dar

Noun

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radar m (plural radars, diminutive radartje n)

  1. radar (detection system operating by means of radio waves)

Derived terms

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French

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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radar m (plural radars)

  1. radar
  2. a device that takes pictures of vehicles violating traffic laws, especially a speed camera
    Synonym: radar automatique
    • 2022 February 14, “Pollution sonore : les premiers radars antibruit testés à Paris”, in Le Monde:
      Inauguré lundi 14 février, ce radar sonore est le premier du genre installé dans la capitale, à titre expérimental.
      Inaugurated on Monday the 14th of February, this sound-radar is the first of its kind installed in the capital, on an experimental basis.

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Galician

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Etymology

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From English radar.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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radar m (plural radares)

  1. radar
  2. speed camera
    Synonym: radar de tráfico

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Icelandic

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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radar m (genitive singular radars, nominative plural radarar)

  1. radar device
    Synonym: ratsjá

Declension

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Declension of radar (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative radar radarinn radarar radararnir
accusative radar radarinn radara radarana
dative radar radarnum radörum radörunum
genitive radars radarsins radara radaranna

Indonesian

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Etymology

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From English radar.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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radar (plural radar-radar)

  1. radar (method of detecting distant objects)

Hyponyms

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Further reading

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Italian

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Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

Etymology

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Borrowed from English radar.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈra.dar/
  • Rhymes: -adar
  • Hyphenation: rà‧dar

Noun

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radar m (invariable)

  1. radar
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Latin

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Verb

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rādar

  1. first-person singular future passive indicative of rādō

Norwegian Bokmål

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Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology

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From English radar.

Noun

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radar m (definite singular radaren, indefinite plural radarer, definite plural radarene)

  1. radar

Derived terms

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References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Etymology

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From English radar.

Noun

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radar m (definite singular radaren, indefinite plural radarar, definite plural radarane)

  1. radar

References

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Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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Borrowed from English radar.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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radar m inan (related adjective radarowy)

  1. radar (method of detecting distant objects)
  2. radar (installation of such a system or of the transmitting and receiving apparatus)

Declension

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Declension of radar
singular plural
nominative radar radary
genitive radaru radarów
dative radarowi radarom
accusative radar radary
instrumental radarem radarami
locative radarze radarach
vocative radarze radary

Derived terms

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nouns

Further reading

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  • radar in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • radar in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

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Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pt

Etymology

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Borrowed from English radar.

Pronunciation

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  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /ʁaˈdaɾ/ [ʁaˈðaɾ]
    • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /ʁaˈda.ɾi/ [ʁaˈða.ɾi]

  • Rhymes: -aɾ
  • Hyphenation: ra‧dar

Noun

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radar m (plural radares)

  1. radar (radio device for detecting distant objects)
  2. ellipsis of radar de velocidade (“speed camera”)

Quotations

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For quotations using this term, see Citations:radar.

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English radar.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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radar n (plural radare)

  1. radar

Declension

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singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative radar radarul radare radarele
genitive-dative radar radarului radare radarelor
vocative radarule radarelor

Serbo-Croatian

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /râdaːr/
  • Hyphenation: ra‧dar

Noun

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rȁdār m inan (Cyrillic spelling ра̏да̄р)

  1. radar

Declension

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Declension of radar
singular plural
nominative radar radari
genitive radara radara
dative radaru radarima
accusative radar radare
vocative radaru / radare radari
locative radaru radarima
instrumental radarom radarima

Slovene

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ràːdar/, /ráːdar/

Noun

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rādar m inan

  1. radar

Declension

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 The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.
Masculine inan., soft o-stem
nom. sing. rádar
gen. sing. rádarja
singular dual plural
nominative
(imenovȃlnik) 		rádar rádarja rádarji
genitive
(rodȋlnik) 		rádarja rádarjev rádarjev
dative
(dajȃlnik) 		rádarju rádarjema rádarjem
accusative
(tožȋlnik) 		rádar rádarja rádarje
locative
(mẹ̑stnik) 		rádarju rádarjih rádarjih
instrumental
(orọ̑dnik) 		rádarjem rádarjema rádarji

Further reading

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  • “radar”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
  • “radar”, in Termania, Amebis
  • See also the general references

Spanish

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Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia es

Etymology

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Borrowed from English radar.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /raˈdaɾ/ [raˈð̞aɾ]
  • Rhymes: -aɾ
  • Syllabification: ra‧dar

Noun

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radar m (plural radares)

  1. radar
    • BBC Mundo. Desaparece avión sobre el Atlántico 2009-06-01.
      Un avión ... desapareció este lunes del control de los radares.
      A plane ... disappeared this Monday from control of radars.
  2. speed camera
    Synonyms: radar de tráfico, radar de velocidad

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Swedish

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Etymology 1

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From English radar.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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radar c

  1. radar
Usage notes
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  • Plural forms are rare.
Declension
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Declension of radar
nominative genitive
singular indefinite radar radars
definite radarn radarns
plural indefinite radarer radarers
definite radarerna radarernas

Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

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radar

  1. present of rada

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Tagalog

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English radar, originally an acronym for “radio detection and ranging”, with the stress influenced by Spanish radar.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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radár (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜇᜇ᜔)

  1. radar
    Synonym: siglap

Derived terms

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Further reading

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  • “radar”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018.

Turkish

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Etymology

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From English radar, attested from 1945.

Noun

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radar (definite accusative radarı, plural radarlar)

  1. (aviation) radar

Declension

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Declension of radar
singular plural
nominative radar radarlar
definite accusative radarı radarları
dative radara radarlara
locative radarda radarlarda
ablative radardan radarlardan
genitive radarın radarların
Possessive forms
nominative
singular plural
1st singular radarım radarlarım
2nd singular radarın radarların
3rd singular radarı radarları
1st plural radarımız radarlarımız
2nd plural radarınız radarlarınız
3rd plural radarları radarları
definite accusative
singular plural
1st singular radarımı radarlarımı
2nd singular radarını radarlarını
3rd singular radarını radarlarını
1st plural radarımızı radarlarımızı
2nd plural radarınızı radarlarınızı
3rd plural radarlarını radarlarını
dative
singular plural
1st singular radarıma radarlarıma
2nd singular radarına radarlarına
3rd singular radarına radarlarına
1st plural radarımıza radarlarımıza
2nd plural radarınıza radarlarınıza
3rd plural radarlarına radarlarına
locative
singular plural
1st singular radarımda radarlarımda
2nd singular radarında radarlarında
3rd singular radarında radarlarında
1st plural radarımızda radarlarımızda
2nd plural radarınızda radarlarınızda
3rd plural radarlarında radarlarında
ablative
singular plural
1st singular radarımdan radarlarımdan
2nd singular radarından radarlarından
3rd singular radarından radarlarından
1st plural radarımızdan radarlarımızdan
2nd plural radarınızdan radarlarınızdan
3rd plural radarlarından radarlarından
genitive
singular plural
1st singular radarımın radarlarımın
2nd singular radarının radarlarının
3rd singular radarının radarlarının
1st plural radarımızın radarlarımızın
2nd plural radarınızın radarlarınızın
3rd plural radarlarının radarlarının

References

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Uzbek

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Noun

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radar (plural radarlar)

  1. radar

Zazaki

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Noun

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radar f

  1. radar
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