spectrograph

noun

spec·​tro·​graph ˈspek-t(r)ə-ˌgraf 

: an instrument for dispersing radiation (such as electromagnetic radiation or sound waves) into a spectrum and recording or mapping the spectrum

spectrographic

ˌspek-t(r)ə-ˈgra-fik 

adjective

spectrographically

ˌspek-t(r)ə-ˈgra-fi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

spectrography

spek-ˈträ-grə-fē 

noun

Examples of spectrograph in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first planet was detected using a 27-foot diameter telescope at the European Space Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in Chile and a spectrograph that could quickly detect changes in the star's velocity, according to the 2024 paper, published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2025

Most recently, in 2024, astronomers using the ESPRESSO spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope in Chile claimed the detection of one planet, and evidence for a further three. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 Mar. 2025

This latest study relied on data collected by Caltech's Keck Cosmic Web Imager, a spectrograph at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. —Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2024

For almost a decade now, a dedicated team of Lithuanian astronomers has been trying to answer this conundrum using a state-of-the-art spectrograph at a telescope some 70 km outside Vilnius. —Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing spectrograph

• mass spectrograph

Rhymes for spectrograph

• autograph
• biograph
• cenotaph
• chronograph
• epigraph
• epitaph
• hodograph
• holograph
• hydrograph
• lithograph
• micrograph
• monograph

Kids Definition

spectrograph

noun

spec·​tro·​graph ˈspek-t(r)ə-ˌgraf 

: an instrument for spreading radiation (as of light or sound) into a spectrum and photographing or mapping the spectrum

Medical Definition

spectrograph

noun

spec·​tro·​graph -ˌgraf 

: an instrument for dispersing radiation (as electromagnetic radiation or sound waves) into a spectrum and photographing or mapping the spectrum

spectrographic

ˌspek-t(r)ə-ˈgraf-ik 

adjective

spectrographically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

spectrography

spek-ˈträg-rə-fē 

noun

plural spectrographies