Binocle
/ˈbɪnəˌkoʊl/noun
A type of eyeglass or a field glass with two lenses, especially an old-fashioned binocular device.
Did you know?Binocle comes through French from Latin *bini* (“two by two”), ultimately from the same Indo-European root that gave English words like *double* and *two*, making it a tiny fossil of ancient counting magic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dwóh₁
“two”
Latin
Latin
bini
“two by two; two each”
Late Latin
Latin
binoculus
“having two eyes; two-eyed”
Old French
Old French
binocle
“a double eyeglass or spectacle”
19th Century
English
binocle
“a double eyeglass or field glass with two lenses”