etalon
[ eyt-l-on ]
/ ˈeɪt lˌɒn /
noun Optics.
an interferometer consisting of two glass plates that reflect approximately half of each ray of light incident upon them and that are separated by a small, fixed distance: used to compare wavelengths and to study atomic spectra.
Origin of etalon
1900–05; < French; Middle French
estalon standard, derivative of Old French
estal place < Germanic; see
stall1
Words nearby etalon
eta meson,
eta particle,
eta-c meson,
eta-c particle,
etaerio,
etalon,
etamine,
etaoin shrdlu,
etatism,
etc.,
etcetera
British Dictionary definitions for etalon
etalon
/ (ˈɛtəˌlɒn) /
noun
physics
a device used in spectroscopy to measure wavelengths by interference effects produced by multiple reflections between parallel half-silvered glass or quartz plates
Word Origin for etalon
C20: French
étalon a fixed standard of weights and measures, from Old French
estalon; see also
stallion