aperture
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈæp.ə.tʃə(ɹ)/, /ˈæp.ə.tjʊə(ɹ)/
  • (America) IPA: /ˈæp.ɚ.tʃɚ/
Noun

aperture (plural apertures)

  1. An opening, gap, or hole, usually small and narrow
    an aperture in a wall
    • 1860, Samuel Hannaford, Sea and River-side Rambles in Victoria Chapter 7
      In the centre of the fleshy membrane is an aperture leading into a deep cavity, at the bottom of which is placed a prominent piston that may be retracted by muscular fibres provided for the purpose.
  2. (optics) Something which restricts the diameter of the light path through one plane in an optical system.
  3. (astronomy, photography) The diameter of the aperture (in the sense above) which restricts the width of the light path through the whole system. For a telescope, this is the diameter of the objective lens.
    This telescope has a 100cm aperture.
  4. (spaceflight, communications) The (typically) large-diameter antenna used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency energy containing the data used in communication satellites, especially in the geostationary belt. For a comsat, this is typically a large reflective dish antenna; sometimes called an array.
  5. (mathematics, rare, of a right circular cone) The maximum angle between the two generatrices.
    If the generatrix makes an angle θ to the axis, then the aperture is 2θ.
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