aperture means A small or narrow opening, gap, slit, or hole.
aperture is pronounced /ˈap.ə.t͡ʃə/.
Why “aperture” is a great word
An opening, hole, or gap, especially one that controls the passage of light. From late Middle English, from Latin apertūra ('an opening'), from aperiō ('to uncover, to open') + -tūra (action noun suffix). Unlike an orifice, which denotes a bodily inlet or outlet, or a slit, which suggests a narrow incision, an aperture is a deliberate and often calibrated breach. It is the iris of a camera lens dilating in dim cathedral light, the pinhole in a sundial casting a blade of noon, the fixed black pupil of a telescope drinking the ancient spill of stars—each a measured concession to the flood of the world.
Etymology
From late Middle English, from Latin apertūra (“an opening”), from aperiō (“to uncover, make or lay bare”) + -tūra (“-ure”, action noun suffix). Doublet of overture and apertura.
noun
- A small or narrow opening, gap, slit, or hole.“an aperture in a wall”
- A hole which restricts the diameter of the lightpath through one plane in an optical system.
- A hole which restricts the diameter of the lightpath through one plane in an optical system.; The diameter of such a hole which restricts the width of the lightpath through the whole system. For a telescope, this is the diameter of the objective lens.“This telescope has a 100 cm aperture.”
- 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.
- The maximum angle between the two generatrices.“If the generatrix makes an angle θ to the axis, then the aperture is 2θ.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- cleft 82% match — An opening, fissure, or V-shaped indentation made by or as if by splitting. vs aperture →
- lacuna 82% match — A small opening; a small pit or depression, especially in bone. vs aperture →
- loophole 82% match — A slit in a castle wall; today, any similar window for shooting a ranged weapon or letting in light. vs aperture →
- scissure 82% match — A longitudinal opening made by cutting; a cleft; a fissure. vs aperture →
- oculus 81% match — A window or other opening that has an oval or circular shape (as of an eye).; The central boss of a volute. vs aperture →
- interstitial 81% match — Of, relating to, or situated in an interstice. vs aperture →
- lacunarity 81% match — The quality or degree of being lacunar. vs aperture →
- embrasure 81% match — Any of the indentations between the merlons of a battlement; an opening in a wall or parapet through which ordnance can be fired. vs aperture →