▪ I. kaleidoscope, n.
(kəˈlaɪdəʊskəʊp)
[f. Gr. καλ-ός beautiful + εἶδο-ς form + -scope. Named by its inventor, Sir David Brewster, in 1817.
Calidoscope in Newman, Gramm. Assent i. v. (1870) 107.]
An optical instrument, consisting of from two to four reflecting surfaces placed in a tube, at one end of which is a small compartment containing pieces of coloured glass: on looking through the tube, numerous reflections of these are seen, producing brightly-coloured symmetrical figures, which may be constantly altered by rotation of the instrument.
| 1817 Specif. Brewster's patent No. 4136 (heading) A new optical instrument called the Kaleidoscope. 1818 Murray Let. to Byron in Smiles Mem. (1891) I. xvi. 398, I send you a very well-constructed Kaleidoscope, a newly-invented toy. 1822 J. Flint Lett. Amer. 20 The Kaleidoscope of Dr. Brewster is here fabricated in a rude style, and in quantities so great, that it is given as a plaything to children. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. 62 The beautifully symmetrical shapes seen in a common kaleidoscope. |
b. fig. A constantly changing group of bright colours or coloured objects; anything which exhibits a succession of shifting phases.
| 1819 Byron Juan ii. xciii, This rainbow look'd like hope—Quite a celestial kaleidoscope. 1824 Macaulay Misc. Writ. I. 82 The mind of Petrarch was a kaleidoscope. 1864 Pusey Lect. Daniel Pref. 29 To allow truth and falsehood to be jumbled together in one ever-shifting kaleidoscope of opinions. 1878 Hutton Scott i. 8 A hundred changing turns of the historical kaleidoscope. |
c. attrib.
| 1834 Edin. Rev. LX. 69 The few kaleidoscope passages, where ambitious words and crowded figures are so richly embroidered in. 1855 G. Brimley Ess., Noct. Ambr. 306 A kaleidoscope quickness and variety of intellect. |
▪ II. kaˈleidoscope, v.
[f. the n.]
To present the appearance of a brightly coloured and constantly changing pattern; to cause to come together or coalesce with pleasing results. Hence kaˈleidoscoping ppl. a. and vbl. n.
| 1891 Daily News 5 Mar. 5/3 The spectators in the gallery cheered heartily when some particularly effective kaleidoscoping of colours happened amongst the dancers on the floor below. 1894 Ibid. 1 Feb. 3/1 If the ladies and gentlemen so industriously kaleidoscoping below only cared, they might do something better on these carnival nights than play at devils and clowns. 1900 Literature 14 July 25/1 In ‘Isis’..Villiers kaleidoscoped from his memory and imagination what he had read in many Oriental and medieval books. 1933 Discovery July 218/2 The sitting-rooms, parlour, drawing-room, morning room, study, library, ballroom and so on have all been kaleidoscoped into the living room. 1971 Guardian 4 Jan. 9/2 These days of kaleidoscoping time. |