The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
n. An optical instrument consisting of a small mounted telescope rotatable in horizontal and vertical planes, used to measure angles in surveying, meteorology, and navigation.
n. A surveying instrument, consisting of a small mounted telescope, used to measure horizontal and vertical angles.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. An instrument used, especially in trigonometrical surveying, for the accurate measurement of horizontal angles, and also usually of vertical angles. It is variously constructed.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A surveying-instrument for measuring horizontal angles upon a graduated circle.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a surveying instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles, consisting of a small telescope mounted on a tripod
Word Usage
"The spot was actually located and determined by theodolite from the base camp, knowing the height of the mountain."