transit instrument

noun

Astronomy. meridian circle.
Surveying. transit(def 6a).

Origin of transit instrument

First recorded in 1805–15

Words nearby transit instrument

transistor, transistorize, transit, transit camp, transit circle, transit instrument, transit number, transit shed, transit theodolite, transitable, transition

Example sentences from the Web for transit instrument

  • The deviation of a transit-instrument from the plane of the meridian at the horizon; it is also termed the azimuthal error.

    The Sailor's Word-Book |William Henry Smyth

  • The transit-instrument, or culminatory, observes when a star has reached the highest point in its course.

    Titan: A Romance v. 1 (of 2) |Jean Paul Friedrich Richter

British Dictionary definitions for transit instrument

transit instrument

noun

an astronomical instrument, mounted on an E-W axis, in which the reticle of a telescope is always in the plane of the meridian. It is used to time the transit of a star, etc, across the meridian